The Prismatic Edge
by Sage of Eyes
Summary: Reincarnation is a funny thing, especially when its not what you're expecting it to end up being. Shirou Emiya learns this the hard way, and wackiness ensues. A Prisma Ilya Crossover, Enjoy and Review.
1. Chapter 1

The Prismatic Edge.

…

Disclaimer: No monetary gain, or ownership to be seen around these parts.

…

Reincarnation was a chore, though due to the situation I felt that it was more pertinent to call it rebirth.

I was reborn to my true parents, they were perfectly ordinary people living ordinary lives. My father was a tall man with russet hair, he was most certainly foreign and the source of my impressive height, just like my mother. She was a hardy woman sharing my father's height and hair, she worked at the docks just as my father did, I shared my eye colors with her. she had my vibrant shade while my father's eyes were a dull green. They worked shifts during the weekdays, conducting the shipping containers that came from all over the world into Fuyuki. They were planning on returning to Europe and raise me there after my fourth grade, a few years late for the fire. I enjoyed my time with them, but at the same time I tried my best to not be attached.

Time had rewound, I was reborn into my own life. I was too young, I could not affect what was to come.

Except my own preparedness for the Holy Grail war, my world lay dormant within my mind, unpowered yet present. I managed to activate my circuits through a ritual I had seen conducted in the slums of Africa the first day my parents left me with a sitter. She had been a kindly lady, but a few sleeping pills I smuggled from the medical cabinet had knocked her out cold so I could conduct the ritual to activate my circuits to their full potential.

I missed a week of school due to the fever that followed, the ingestion of the material had me bedridden and weak for three days. I didn't see the kindly woman again, but my preparedness for what was too come was far more important than the feelings of one lady.

From that moment in time onward, I began to train my body once more. I participated in every athletic club, the formation of muscles in such an earlier age would be beneficial to my plans for the war. Reinforcement could do much more with a body developed with the magic in mind rather than with the jack of all trades I had pursued previously.

To my dismay, the Kendo club did not recruit until the sixth grade, and the only sports I had were soccer and swim. I had been adamant in not utilizing my magic to aid, but competition still got the better of me in some moments. I always apologized to my opponents whenever I utilized magic to win, but I didn't exactly say why either.

I pursued my course in life, my plans in place.

When I saw the skyscraper tumble down, I hypnotized my parents for the first and last time.

I told them to pack and leave, their son died and they couldn't stand living in the place anymore. I placed a compulsion on my father to place stock on a few companies I knew would rise over the years, and knowing they would be well, said goodbye.

They lived, maybe one day I will visit them, but only after I ensured that the Grail was no more.

When the sky began to rain with black tar that set the place alight, I walked in the fire and attempted to save others. I was unsuccessful in most of my attempts, but the failures only added to my will to survive and destroy the Grail once more. My reinforced lungs did well against the smoke, but I still found myself face down upon the ground plenty of times when I took a breath with far too little oxygen.

I was about to keel over once more, when someone caught me.

I heard him whisper 'Thank God." Before I felt the warmth of Avalon enter me, I was safe now. I allowed myself to fall to fatigue in my true father's arms…

"Oh my God, you found one Kiristugu?" A feminine voice suddenly chimed in, I was surprised but the fatigue settling into my mind did not see the sudden voice as a reason to clear itself. "Is he any different from the others?"

I was surprised to feel a pulse of magic travel into my body and identify the twenty seven active circuits in my back, along with my physical composition.

Well shit.

"A magus." My father's voice was despondent but for more hale and healthy than I remembered him ever being, something to be glad about even in the face of what was probably end with me in an orphanage. "This could raise complications in the future, if someone sought him out." He pointed it out to the feminine voice that emanated from the side. I willed my eyes to open against the fatigue that was settling them down. "We take him to the hospital, lay low, and extract Avalon from him then head back to go through with our plans."

"Or…" The voice held an audible aura of malice that sent shivers up my spine, Kiritsugu seemed to tug me closer to his chest. "We bring him with us and get Ilya a little brother!"

"He's eight" He stated, undoubtedly estimating my age with his scan. Kiritsugu did not offer any retort or objection for a reason I could not place. I did not want to check the proverbial gift horse's teeth but I certainly wanted to get a clear look at the person that seemed okay with taking a Magus child found in a fire to immediately raise as a child. "That makes him older that Ilya."

She gave a petulant huff, and managed to finally open my eyes.

She was barely a few centimeters from my face, she was inspecting me closely and I knew I had to seal the metaphorical deal quickly or my chances of living with my father would whittle away to nothing.

I took in the face that reminded me eerily of an older Ilya, I slowly lifted up my hand and asked:

"Mama?"

She blinked, once, twice, before a chuckle that made my skin crawl went up my spine. I was swiftly taken from Kiritsugu's grasp and hugged in the tightest hug I could ever felt. Which was saying something since she was only applying pressure with one arm whilst holding my hand to her face. Her face was absolutely euphoric, she twirled around a few moment humming incessantly amidst the charred landscape until Kiritsugu cleared his throat.

The hug turned spine numbing when she used both arms to encapsulate me, I found a ridiculously hard time trying to breath against the valley my face was pressed against.

"We're keeping him." She declared imperiously and I heard Kiritsugu sigh behind me.

"Yes dear."

Had I known what I had just gotten myself into, I would've taken my chances with the orphanage Kotomine was setting up.

…

Normality did not suit me, the impasse's that occurred when I was outside of combat were too many to count. Rin admonished me heavily on that when we went to the Clock Tower together my past life. As much as I tried to downplay my skills in combat I caught a the eye of the Enforcers a mere three months later and the ensuing assignments had me traveling through the world facing dangerous creatures with Magi of high caliber while Rin drowned herself in work.

It was one of the few things I could never forgive myself about, letting Rin get so encapsulated and taken in by her work until only a machine remained. I attempted reconciliation, and her disposition towards work lessened considerably. Along with my own chances of being with her, of course. Neither one of us wanted to risk something similar happening again, the combination of stress and worry was not healthy and our paths diverged from there.

Archer would have been angry, but I didn't die on a hill of swords as he thought I would without Rin. I died peacefully, content… but alone.

Something that Irisviel, my new mother and Kiritsugu's wife, would probably have a conniption if she ever found out. Since she smothered me an Ilya at every opportunity that came up, which came often due to the rather smallness of the home that we lived in in comparison to the house Kiritsugu had built when he had rescued me alone. Ilya was effectively my little sister, Kiritsugu and Irisviel as my mother and Sella and her sister Leyseritt as the maids of the large, two story complex that was now my home.

I didn't actually know how to react, as the life of a semi-regular family was beyond my expectations, especially with Kiritsugu being completely fine. I didn't know the details behind everything that was occurring either, everything was occurring at such speed I couldn't help but feel dizzy.

The Grail was shut down, the Wizard Marshall himself personally came and destroyed the Grail and Gilgamesh made a brief showing before being slapped down like a cockroach by one of the Living Sorcerers.

I honestly didn't know whether to feel humiliated or ecstatic. The former at the ridiculous ease one of the creators that the Grail had killed one of the most powerful beings I had ever fought. The latter because Gilgamesh barely had three words out of him mouth before a prismatic ray of light slammed down upon him with divine fury and annihilated the Grail he was attempting to keep safe behind his Gate of Babylon.

I tried to not dwell on it, but whenever I thought about I couldn't help but feel like all those hours training to became a contender in the Holy Grail war and reactivating my Reality Marble, while training my body, was all going to waste.

Then like the foolish child I was I told Kiritsugu one day, that I felt like something was missing in life. He stated that I was probably raised in mind for battle, given my impressive upper arm strength, speed and dominance in the Kendo Club that I had been attending. Kiritsugu stated he would try to find a more suitable outlet for my instilled reflexes and was going to speak to Irisviel about it.

Two hours dinner I woke up in a wooden crate with three bottles filled water, the instructions to return as quickly as possible and how to correctly utilize a bottle as a lavatory, signed imperiously by my mother.

As far as I knew, no one really expected me to return, within three weeks, from being dropped in the middle of the South American rainforest in a cargo container. I spent two weeks fording rivers, fighting the local wildlife with my fists, making first contact with indigenous tribes, running away from tribes and eventually getting to town.

Then I spent a week cleaning up the slums and getting rid of the drug cartels that operated therein. I utilized some of the drug money to escape the country, while burning everything else, just as did in my last life. I returned ready to rest during what was left of my summer vacation and live without having to fight a jungle cat with my bare hands.

I woke up in another wooden container, two water bottles and instructions to get back within one week or it'll all happen again. Once more the set of instructions were signed by my new mother, but with my father's apologies on the bottom.

This time I was dropped off in Africa, which wouldn't have been that bad if it occurred thirteen years form my current age. As the continent stood, when I dropped in, it was a warzone that was dominated by warlords getting armed by the black-market. Not only that, but the country side still teemed with wildlife that still thought of humans as food.

I returned to Japan within the time period, but my mother had better ideas on how I should be trained. The strict regimen of exercise remained, but when I returned I found my room booby-trapped beyond belief, two sets of meals given to me at every period set for consumption (One horribly poisoned while the other clean), and my new mother wielding some sort of medieval weapon whenever in my immediate presence with the intent to use it.

Me and my big, damn mouth.

…

My senses came to life five seconds before my alarm did, I immediately rolled off my bed and counted to ten.

At the end of my count a series of bamboo spears turned my bed into a pincushion, once they retracted I was already hopping up to avoid the blades that emerged from the floor. Milliseconds after the blades fell back through the floor, I laid myself flat to watch the dozens of darts fly mere inches over my body.

And my mother asked why I never brought any of my friends home.

There were three taps on the door.

"Nothing to clean." I stated simply, sitting up and shaking the cobwebs of sleep that still littered my mind. "Though I'll need a few minutes to fix the bed." I heard footsteps start traveling down the hallway outside my room, and I took it as affirmation that I was heard.

With that done I stretched and began my day, touching up the elasticity of my muscles by tensing them significantly through a few stretches most yoga practitioners would consider insane. Thanks to my physical preparation, however, the stretches were the few that actually strained and were the few that tensed, and therefore stretched, any muscles within my body.

First day back to school, my calendar faithfully reminded me when I went through my morning routines. I pondered on my second year of High School while I showered, and whether I was actually going to be able to spend time within school this time around. My entire school year last year was spent tracking down a rather ostentatious Dead Apostle through Europe and Asia with a quite younger Lorelei Barthomeloi.

Needless to say, once we managed to pin its location down it didn't last very long against the yet-to-be-Queen of Clocktower. She was still pretty much the same to my old boss in my previous life, utterly ruthless, single minded, proud and self-assured. The only thing that was different from the previous soldier-to-commander relationship that we used to have was that I we were both teenagers and both our hormones were raging out of control.

It led to some very odd things, the heat of battle working as it always did. Some things that ending up occurring were better not thought about during a warm morning shower.

My hormone addled mind was quite happy with the thought of spending some more time with Lorelei but my sane mind advised against being too hopeful about it. School was the main subject on my mind anyways, not a very nubile girl that I had practically lived with for over ten months.

I decided thinking about school was pretty much useless until I arrived there and had plenty of distractions to keep my mind on the right track.

I glanced at the clock while I was putting on my very nostalgic uniform, before breaking out in a run towards the kitchen. While Leyseritt awoke the same time every day to see if I was still alive, Sella was just as oblivious as Ilya and Kiritsugu in my morning routines. Though I suspected Kiritsugu's was more of a forced ignorance of insanity rather than an actually not knowing, Sella and Ilya were being purposefully left out of the loop, the former because she needed a normal childhood and the latter because it would be to troublesome to deal with her antics when she found out she vacuumed a floor with more than three dozen blades underneath once a week.

Yeah, if she ever found out, the aftermath wouldn't be pretty at all.

"Good morning, Shirou!" Sella smiled blithely at me when my face contorted in failure as I took in the ongoing cooking. "You're up quite early today!"

"I'm a tad excited to attending school after being tutored for such a long time." The statement would be rather true, if tutored meant being sent into horrible situations to sate my faked addiction to adrenaline by my own mother. If that was what tutored meant I would most certainly be telling the truth. The excitement stemmed from the fact I would be spending time like a normal teenager, at a normal high school. Instead of being shipped to god-knows where or loaned to fetishistic heiresses, I would be attending classes with my fellow age group-

"Irisviel-sama, managed to get you into the correct classes, Shirou." Sella stated with a smile, idly stirring a pot of miso soup while I sat myself on one of the chairs that surrounded the kitchen island. "Isn't it wonderful? You'll get to study with people with similar intellectual capacities as yourself!"

-or not, well it was too good to be true if that was the case anyways.

"Yeah." I sighed dejectedly, I hid it behind and upturned lip and applying the old act of rubbing my head when I was confused. Sella was none the wiser, and we conversed idly while she cooked. I barely paid attention to the conversation, however, since I was trying to dredge up my previous life's memories of calculus and ancient history.

I had just reassured myself that I wouldn't displease my mother in my new classes and was planning my conquest of the kitchen when Sella served me my Miso soup, Rice, and Sautéed mackerel.

Then I felt her hand touch something on my back, her face darkened considerably as she brought up an oil-covered finger.

Shit, I forgot the pipes that shot darts were just maintained by Leyseritt yesterday! While the chances of a dart getting covered by the grease was low when accounting to the fact that it must have stuck to the roof, the large deluge that was prepared and fired every day made the rather small percentage large in comparison.

It seems that a few drops of the pitch black motor oil had spilled on my back while I was checking the floor boards.

"What's this Shirou?" Sella's voice was ice cold, her face looked like she was studying an insect that had just crawled next to her while she was using the vacuum, split on amazement over stupidity and amazement over the rarity of the occurrence. I can count the number of times I've had a stain on my clothes with one finger and three left over, even when taking this one into account.

I applied the old, I'm confused and please forgive me gesture that was the hand to the back of my head.

"Oh I was just fixing the vacuum that I kept in my room." I lied shamelessly with a forced chuckle, "I didn't want to waste one of my uniforms so I decided to keep wearing it!" I pressed my hands together. "Thanks for the meal-"

As swift as lighting my food disappeared from where I had prepared to dine upon it. My suspicion on where my breakfast was suitably quenched when I found all three bowls individually stacked atop one another in one of Sella's hand. She pointed towards my room, with a trembling hand.

"I will not have you go to your first day of school looking filthy, Shirou!" She declared imperiously leveling the finger at me before pointing right back to the general direction of my room. I could basically feel my chances of having a large breakfast flying away. Despite the fact Sella, and Leyseritt only required Prana to live, they still consumed large amounts of food, so much so that the last diner usually got less than they wanted. "Return to your room and change your clothes immediately!"

By 'they' I meant me, and by 'usually' I meant all the damn time.

The situation was steadily getting worse since Ilya was a growing girl and had already matched my mother's appetite before the sudden growth spurts she would undoubtedly start to experience. I was already planning my escapes into the town for food, and wondering if Kiritsugu would like to come along, once they returned.

I held up my hands in an effort to placate her, making a show of nodding fervently in assurance as I backed up to the steps that led to the second floor. I narrowly dodged the rice spatula that was thrown my way in irritation, but I believed it had been worth it.

Along the way I stumbled on my half-asleep sister, dragging a teddy bear with her.

I honestly still could not understand how she was able to live normally, and grow like any child did. She was two years younger than me, yet already at my chest in height. I doubted I would be able to understand how she was now mostly human, but I couldn't feel any less thankful of the occurrence.

I ruffled her hair and tugged up the sleeve that was falling down her shoulder as I greeted her good morning by pressing my lips against her forehead as I pressed her into a hug. Seeing her so happy, without a noose slowly crawling around her neck made me want to do it every day, and I did so as much as I was able.

"G-good morning, Onii-chan." She stuttered, her face flushing lightly, probably embarrassed at my act of familial affection. She was almost a teenager, and I went through the phase of being embarrassed about things like that twice. Once with Fuji-nee and this time with Irisveil, I couldn't honestly say which embarrassed me more but the former was quite in the lead. She returned the hug, hesitantly but I was happy to receive it.

Moments like this, made me happy to have been reborn and placed into the world once more.

"Sella's got breakfast ready." I took her plush animal gently as I backed away, I noticed the bags underneath her eyes but I didn't necessarily comment on them. I would speak to mother if she was the same for the next couple days, but I didn't feel any harm in some late night television watching until it got out of hand. "I'll take this guy back to your room, and meet you down."

She gave a nod, only barely managing to do so without yawning. I was slightly worried that she would fall asleep in class, but I didn't ponder on the occurrence too much. She'd either learn her lesson, or Irisveil will catch on and all hell would break loose. I sincerely hoped the former would occur instead of the latter, but I would check my bug-out bag tonight anyways. Being prepared never hurt, especially when my mother was concerned.

I changed my jacket before I ventured into Ilya's room with the intentions of placing the bear back to its natural habitat, when I stumbled onto something highly improbable.

A pink stick, with a star surrounded by a circle with wings, attempting to utilize the remote on a muted television.

"Damn single minded humans!" The stick squealed in a distinctively lady-like voice, "Never thinking on how something without finger would ever operate a television remote."

I placed the bear on the neat bed, before crossing my arms and staring intently on the stick that was jumping up and down the remote to change channels. After a few moments it laid itself flat, and began using the wings to slap the buttons instead, resulting in a speedier yet still inefficient way of changing channels.

"You could just get up and use the larger buttons on the television." I pointed out, deciding to reveal my presence as the stick flew in circles furiously.

The obviously magical object rounded on me.

"I will not be made a fool of by some mediocre device made out rubber and plastic," Somehow spittle landed on my impassive face from the magical device. "I would sooner strip myself down and submit to my sister's whims than-"

The oddly shaped device looked at me, and I looked right back.

A weighty silence occurred as it stopped talking and dropped itself on the carpet.

I kept staring at it, staying stock still in front of the doorway.

A few moments passed.

"If you think that's going to fool me…" I stated with a sigh, crossing my arms and tapping my foot on the floor after I locked the door. "You'll find that the situation will be in your favor if that you declare your intentions, before I attempt to destroy you in any way I choose." I paused, going over that sentence in my mind, the threat behind it was carried well but the end was most assuredly compromised due to the fact I found the object in my sister's room. "If your intentions are pure, I'll let you live." I tacked on as an afterthought.

"Would you keep this a secret if I told you everything?" The utterly despondent magical device stated somberly, raising a side of its ' head' to glace at me. How the Mystical Code was flexible was beyond me, but I didn't doubt that the device was able to do so. I had seen plenty of the things my previous life, sentience and flexibility were the least ostentatious of the many features I had encountered. "My sister would hold it over my entire life if she finds out this is how the secret got out."

"You're in the room of my own sibling," I sighed, uncrossing my arms, bringing up my right arm in my habit of scratching the back of my head while reinforcing my ears to keep track of the movements within the house. I was attempted to trace the outline of the house's floor plan and see where there was the most pressure, but I didn't want to give that trick away to Kiritsugu, just yet, who will then surrender the information to Irisviel sooner than later. "If anything I know better than to make other's suffer from my own pains, so you have my promise."

The Mystic Code perked up and immediately zipped into the air, flying in figure eights in the room. I was impressed, to say the least, such a feat was amazingly difficult without wings in greater proportion attached to its 'head'.

"I am…" The device declared solemnly, as it seemed to glitter and shine as bright as the sun lighting up the room spectacularly. "The great and marvelous," The star suddenly became a myriad of colors, filling the rooms with incandescent colors. "Kaleidostick Ruby!"

Zeltrech, I should've known, dammit.

"How long did that take you to plan up?" I commented, taking the posture of a critique, complete with one arm across my abdomen supporting my other pointing hand.

The stick slumped in midair, curling as if it was drying like a piece of laundry hung on a clothes line.

"It wasn't that bad," I attempted to assuage the Mystical Device, moving both my hands in a calming manner, palms out and slowly going up and down. "I'd seen better but you definitely take a place in the top twenty."

If anything that seemed to only make the Mystic Code even more depressed.

"Ten weeks of planning my intro and I can't even make top ten." The Mystical Code, seemed to curl up into itself even more, using its wings to over its 'face', "I bet Sapphire is stunning her new master just fine dammit…"

I attempted to gain the device's attention few more times, but at the end of my attempts it seemed to have the effect of making it curl itself into an small ball. Seeing as the Mystical Code would like to sulk, or at the very least cause a singularity by compressing itself so much. I decided to just return later for the interrogation for the time being.

I bumped into something as I went, it was about up to my waist in height, which confused me since Ilya had become larger than that about a year ago. I had yet to bump into her since she had hit her growth spurt.

I looked down at whatever was obstructing my movement from leaving the room and, as I took it in, my blood warred between the choice of rushing to my face or leaving it.

Sella didn't seem to take it all that well either, thought it may have something to do with the fact her face was pressed against my crotch. Whether the blush was of embarrassment or furious anger, I didn't care to find out as I made a beeline for the door. I grabbed the bento on the top of the counter and made my way to where Ilya waited for me to walk her to school.

It really was too early to be dealing with these sorts of things.

…

"See you later, Onii-chan!" Ilya yelled as she rushed into the all-girls academy that didn't exist before my last life. I would remember if a private school that insisted in a ridiculous hat as part of a uniform, if it had existed in my previous life.

I responded with the traditional 'Go and return Safely' as I waved her good-bye. I was glad to see so many girls congregate to her side as she made her way to the campus. Irisviel had the same effect on people, both of my family members exhibited astounding amounts of charisma around others, despite their rather limited upbringing concerning the number of people they had met. Mother's odd way of making others bend to her will and presence was terrifying, and I sincerely hoped that with more people to speak to Ilya wouldn't treat other's like maids anytime soon.

Though I wouldn't be surprised if she attempted to get people into maid outfits, she had an unhealthy (I truly wanted to utilize the word fetish, but I didn't feel comfortable applying the word to my adopted sister) interest, in maids. In general, the costume just seemed to hit her buttons like a sledgehammer and had led us to being banned from most of the maid cafes within the city.

"Oh my~" A melodic yet somehow monotonous voice sent chills up my spine, I tried to smile but I really just couldn't get my face from voice's effect of setting it into 'Combat Mode.'. "I would never have thought a man as yourself would degrade himself to the task of escorting his sister to school."

"Ortentesia-san." I managed to not growl at the school's 'nurse' as she walked up to me, white hair kept in a ponytail and eyes twinkling mischievously "I did not expect to see someone with as much talent as yourself degrade herself to watching children suffer."

To many it may have been a joke, if harsh, but, a joke between two friends. It was not the case in this situation, like her father, she only gained happiness when seeing others in pain. A rare, and extreme, condition called Schadenfreude led the working woman my age, that had the skills to get any job she wanted, to working as a school nurse to simply be happy seeing children cry.

"So defensive, Emiya-kun." The words slipped off her tongue like silk, my body tensed when she pressed a finger against my chest. My twenty seven magical circuits activated and I was already ready to fight as she withdrew. "Stress isn't good for your body, you know? Tends to lead to cardiac arrests when you're older."

"I'll be sure to look you up when you reach that age." I replied venomously, I would be lying if I said I wasn't itching to take her on. She reminded far too much of her father for the two of us to ever be cordial. "I wouldn't miss such a sight for the world."

Her smile was beatific, I was tempted to say radiant, but I was sure such words shouldn't be used to attribute happiness that stemmed from another's hatred of yourself.

"I'll hold you to that," She flipped her ponytail to the side, "Though I admit I wouldn't have expected such inappropriate thoughts from a man of your stature, Emiya-kun."

I blinked rapidly, and I was pretty sure the exact words that came from my mouth as my brain tried to reconfigure after being so confused was: "Bwah?"

"You," She clarified, a wicked grin replacing the smile. "Want to see me convulsing, writhing on the ground…" She took a step towards me, and my brain was frozen. "My breath coming in ragged gasps…" another step brought her closer, so much so that I had to look down to meet her eyes. "and see my body still as my final breaths leave me dazed."

I was pretty sure my face looked as if I had between sucking a lemon and got punched in the process.

"I could say that I wouldn't expect inappropriate words to come from a nurse at an elementary school." I pointed out, praying that the heat that was transferring steadily to my face wasn't creating a luminescent blush. "Especially when they're also representatives of the Church." She was close enough that I didn't even need to reach out to touch her Mystic Code- Shroud of Magdalene- "Or priestesses in search of demons." I reached out for her neck, where I remembered where the most recent demonic possession injury had been inflicted.

The rare mystic and genetic condition of receiving the wounds of a demonic possessed individual made Caren one of the few Demon Detectors in the world. A man had arrived three months ago and had a series of neck injuries that were similar to attempted hanging, though he hid it well, the wounds inflicted themselves on Caren the moment he walked past the school.

She requested my assistance and we dealt with the demon and sent the man on his way… to the police station.

Just as my hand was about to reach her neck, however, a roll of paper suddenly impacted on the side of my head. I deduced the arc of the paper to the second story of the building and…

Oh… I was reaching for the neck of the school nurse in front of the school itself. Common knowledge states that this wasn't the best of ideas, and nearly all of the windows had girls congregating and whispering amongst themselves.

"You planned this," I whispered to the white haired, bemused woman at my side, my eyes drawing to my sister's furious expression at the second floor. Her arm was still outstretched, so it didn't take a genius to know that she had been so embarrassed by my actions that she decided to get me out of her school's property.

She grew up so fast… I would've added something about watching her grow up, but I was nearly always away from the house that if her childhood was a montage I would've been in the least seen family member within.

"I don't know what you're taking about." She stated monotonously, her face slightly red from all the stares she was receiving from the majority of the student populace. The faux-burse glided towards the school entrance, and I decided that was my cue to leave as well.

I gave my blushing sister a wave after I bowed in apology towards the many frowning teachers in the that were attempting to regain control of their classes. I wasn't all too surprised that many of them returned the gesture with angry glares, but I was surprised to see Taiga waving Tora fiercely in my general direction. The curse and malevolence within the cursed bokken was heady and thick even from my distance, and I was glad to not have her as a teacher once more.

The previous operation that nearly the entire school in my last life participated in to rid the world of the bokken was epic beyond words, and involved ridiculous amounts of cooking from my part. My cooking skills were rusty because of Sella, and I had doubts that I would be able to create such a feast of good enough quality long enough to distract the woman.

Judging from the numerous whacking sounds I hear emanating from the school, I had no doubt that they would leave the school with a meaningful fear of swords.

…

"Raise your elbow up to your ear's elevation." I instructed one of the five girls Ayako had practically dumped on my lap when I arrived. I had no grounds to complain since she was working with seven, and that more than three of them were utter wrecks concerning archery.

I sometimes wondered why so many girls attended the class, but I never asked questions on why someone would pursue the road to Archery. Whatever a person's reasons, Archery was good for mind and body and I wouldn't advise anyone to leave the club for any reason.

When the girl fixed her positioning, I called for release of the shots. I was more than proud to see all shots strike near the center of all the targets. I idly wondered if this was what they called 'pride of a teacher', but I didn't ponder it too much as I gave them more tips on their shots.

"Senpai!" A voice called out from the doorway, and I excused myself from my students as I headed for the door.

I opened the door and I wasn't too surprised to find myself in a crushing hug as Sakura Matou led herself in.

"Good afternoon to you as well," I greeted my underclassmen, and childhood friend in both my lives. She was quite more optimistic and cheery in this world, than in the previous, though I was unsure how it occurred with her still a Matou and appearances changed. "Quite late though." I tacked on as an afterthought. "Picking up bad habits while I was away?"

"Onii-san thought it would be funny to hide my bow." She giggled as she let go my waist, hefting the decidedly dusty bag holding her arrows. "I made him give it back though." She added cheerfully, and I felt an odd chill crawl up my spine when I remembered another example to how the new Sakura acted. "It's nice to have you back Senpai."

Sakura really did not actually take any sort of nonsense in her daily habits, as much as it frightened me to admit. My childhood friend was most certainly a bit domineering in some aspects, and she gave out the most cruel and unusual punishments when anyone crossed her and was decidedly caught.

Shinji could attest to that, the number of times he ran through the hallways buck naked, save for the duct tape wrapped around his crotch, during middle school could attest to that.

I actually wondered if he was doing on purpose to get pity points from the underclassmen, but I wasn't nearly as on good terms with him in my last life. At the very least, he didn't seem to treat his sitter oddly anymore, and it was probably due to the lack of a massive guillotine known as the Grail War hanging over their heads to thank for that.

"Well I'm glad that's settled." I gave her a nod, which she simply hummed in reply to. I waved Ayako over, since she had the keys to the changing rooms.

Ayako raised an eyebrow at Sakura though, obviously cautious as she adopted her rather haughty pose of crossing her arms, and I couldn't blame her. Sakura's purple hair, cheerful demeanor, coupled with the bow she carried around most of the time, was quite the eyebrow raiser.

"A friend of yours, Shirou?" Ayako seemingly sized Sakura up, and I was surprised to sense Sakura tense and lift her shin up minutely. I had the oddest feeling of being trapped between two birds of prey about to attack each other.

"Matou Sakura." My purple-haired friend replied in a crisp tone that I had to blink several times a. I had most assuredly never seen that before, even in my previous life. "I've been with Senpai since we were little." She smiled and I could have sworn that I heard something crack.

"Oh!" Ayako feigned surprise as her voice gained the same crisp tone that Sakura exhibited, and I resumed my blinking at one of my old friends. "I never noticed you while I've been with him," The archery club captain stated frostily, extending a hand. "It's very nice to meet you, now."

Sakura grasped hands with Ayako, and I was sure I felt lighting crackle between the two as they tried to crush each other's hands.

"Why don't we get to know each other?" Sakura stated, cloyingly sweet. "I need someone to show me through the lockers after all."

"I wouldn't want you to get lost on your there." Ayako stated just as cloyingly sweet, supplying the phrase with a smile that sent my danger senses to overdrive. Not the combat danger either, those I could handle. No that smile triggered several that were usually only triggered by Sella and Irisviel. "I'll be sure to walk you slowly through it all."

"Of course!" Sakura declared, and I averted my eyes as her vest seemed to suddenly straight against her vest. " I wouldn't want to walk anywhere without a big Senpai by my side!"

Ayako's smile became strained, and Sakura's grin widened as the former led the latter to the dressing room.

The lighting I was talking about earlier? It was a full blown thunderstorm now, and I was hopelessly confused as to why the two of them seemingly wanted to get at each other's throats whilst out of my sight.

The other club members were milling about, so I decided to take charge for a moment and had them pick up the massive rubber bands the school issued for strength training.

Hopefully things would start making sense once the two came back. I was more than a bit worried that I would have to question the two seemingly angry women, however I was glad to see them both back to normal when they left the locker.

Even if Ayako started giving me really odd stares, and Sakura kept whispering to her during class, I was glad to have two of my old friends back.

…

I was able to rest for around thirty minutes after I arrived back home, before getting hounded by Sella to start the humongous amount of work that had been dropped on to me on the first day of school. I finished it minutes before dinner and I few moments of piece before Irisveil's magical trace on Ilya went off and I felt an itch in my bones. The 'itch' occurred whenever Ilya left the house, and only occurred once every time. The signal was impossible to miss however, and I was sure that she was sneaking out because I didn't hear the front door opening and closing.

There were a few sharp knocks on my door, and I opened the door knob to Leyseritt. Though her face was as passive as ever, I sensed her urgency and accepted my suitcase from her hands without a word.

"Tell Sella I just went to fix something at Issei's" She gave a nod and I closed the door after her. The excuse may have seemed rather flimsy, but I still held the title of 'School Janitor' along with a few other titles pertaining to the numerous sports I used to participate in.

Then I laid the case on my bed, the rectangular carrying case was made from black leather and inlaid with enchantments designed to fool airport security. I was quite sure that whatever mother had designed the insides to look were designed in mind to make other people wary about ever opening it, or disgusting enough to warrant no one attempting to check the insides.

There was no way I would've been able to ferry the items within through any sort of commercial flight anyway.

I regarded the multitude of weapons within, mostly ignoring the explosives in favor of a ten millimeter pistol with an electric dart launcher hooked up underneath. Kiritsugu would have wanted me to arm myself with everything within, in case Ilya had been subliminal controlled to leaving the house, but walking through town with an assault weapon and explosives never suited me.

Besides, any magus that would require the full arsenal would be better off dealt with by blades. Any fool that had it in their mind to control my sister would be easier buried when they were in numerous pieces, and gunshots would be investigated by the local precinct.

I took the jacket held within and had to withhold a shudder as the article of clothing forced my body temperature to levels that they would no longer noticed. I pondered on changing my clothes, but the length of the jacket stipulated the I only needed to wear the boots if I wanted to correctly hide my jeans and shirt. The jacket offered a place within for concealing weapons, but the holster on its outside hid the weapons from mundane eyes anyway.

Kiritsugu used the technique when he hunted Magi down now, for many of his hidden targets it only took a glance towards a seemingly obvious weapon before they found it pointing at them. I took three clips of sixteen and two extra darts, bringing me up to what Kiritsugu would consider 'minimal' armament despite the fact the bullets could bypass most armor and the darts could short out a neighborhoods electric grid if made contact.

I pondered on taking the mask as well, but I decided that particular legend was better left in the slums of South America. The number of killers that would come hunting when they heard 'El Tormento' was in a small town in Japan were far too high.

I wondered if I could stand Ilya seeing me kill someone, especially since she was raised as a normal girl this time. The consequences would be easier to handle than having the entire town caught up in a massive manhunt for me though, and I was certain I would be able to reason with her later on.

Boots on, and armed as I heavily as I would risk, I leapt out of the window allowing my senses to expand and I immediately caught on to Ilya's distinctive scent as she made quick inroads towards the edge of the city mere blocks from where we lived.

I was surprised by the initiative behind her work though, as well as her knowledge of the streets. The two facts simply meant that she was going through this by own will, and there was no magus controlling her and haphazardly guiding her through the streets. Well either that, or someone has taken up residence a few months earlier and this was a carefully planned out abduction. My families many enemies were more than capable of hiring someone of a similar mindset to my father, the only question was how they would have known of our existence.

I took great pains to not be associated with my father and mother, the two of them were basically boogeymen in Europe. The Barthomeloi's were probably the only family my mother deduced were to be too powerful to even think about attempting to fool, and my 'services' last year had been part of the payment that would keep them from revealing the secret. While I had no idea what else I would have to do in the future, I couldn't be any more impressed by my mother's political movements.

No noble would ever willingly place such a collar on their necks and give the leash to someone they wanted to appease. Irisviel knew this perfectly and did it to show subservience to the Barthomeloi, utterly intriguing them as well as flattering them as the only one she even considered to speak of my relations with them.

Since Lorelei would never betray anyone she considered a comrade in arms, I was more than stumped at who would be able to initiate such a daring plan

Ilya stopped at a clearing behind my school and I hid behind a tree, quite frankly I was more than a bit perturbed at the large expanse of land that Ilya chose to stop at

"Right on time." A voice stated from the opposite side of the clearing and my heart nearly stopped. I had to stop myself from glancing around the tree trunk, I was quite sure that she would be able to see me from where her voice originated.

"Of course!" The mystical artifact, known as Ruby, chirped from Ilya's location. "My new master is much more even tempered than my previous master!" There was an odd sound, and I could've sworn it must've been a raspberry. "She actually listens to my wonderful advice! Making her a hundred- no a thousand times bett-"

There was the sound of concentrated magic flying around and I had to admit I winced at the sound as it made impact with the flying artifact. Gandr were concentrated curses that impacted with the force of bullets, the impact alone was more than enough to take a normal person out of commission. The magic was utterly efficient in its use, making it Rin's most favored spell.

"As I was saying." Rin scoffed, and I could imagine her flipping her hair back, putting one hand at her waist and pointing the other. Classic Tohaska lecture pose number four, if my memory was anything to go by. "I'm glad you realize the importance of becoming my slave for the time being, Ilya-san."

Slave?

"Slave…" Ilya muttered alongside my bewildered thoughts, I was even more tempted to take a look and make sure this was Tohaska. I had not seen her in years, and I was quite sure she had left for London before we reached high-school. "…Isn't there a nicer way to phrase it?" Ilya finished in a huff, and I was quite sure she was shaking her head. I heard paper ruffle as it was taken from a pocket. "Your note didn't really give me much of a choice."

Any doubt on whether the person opposite of my little sister was Tohaska left me abruptly as I had to stifle a chuckle. The many notes she had attempted to right to me during our senior year always ended on a rather off note. Quite frequently it was 'Or I'll Kill You.' r 'Or Else' scratched out and something like 'Or I'll See You Tommorow' or 'Or I'll Leave You to Your Day'.

"T-that's not important right now." Tohaska blustered, and I could visualize her bright red face easily. She always did when she stuttered. "Have you properly mastered Ruby?"

"Mastered?" Ilya stated weakly, "You mean she does other things than shoot magical blasts?"

"Don't worry, Illya!" Ruby chirped happily. While Timing and Heart will improve over time, Magical Blasts shall get us through this encounter without so much as a scratch!"

"Quite pretentious of you." Rin stated snidely, probably crossing her arms over her chest. "But I guess you me and your guest will have to deal with the Card all by ourselves."

"Guest?" Ilya voiced and Ruby mimicked her, before suddenly screeching out in fright.

I knew that kind of squeal, and I knew even more what to do as the tree exploded from concussive shots of Gandr.

I dashed from one tree to the other, Rin's shots barely trailing moments behind me. Reinforcement of my body was easy, but Gandr was effective because of the medley of curses it delivered, and I didn't plan on visiting Caren any time soon to get the multitudes of curses removed.

I stopped moving when Gandr shots starting appearing from the front as well as behind me, forcing me to dodge, marking the moment when she started getting fed up and utilized both hands. Her aim was still as meticulous, and I wondered if she had been in combat while she was at Europe. Rin had never been able to do that in my past life, if I remembered correctly. She had been quite a poor shot when attempting to do the same her counterpart was doing now.

I heard her yell triumphantly as she managed to pin me down, the concussive blasts started to make my ears ring, but I heard it clearly. An impossible number of Gandr came forward, a solid wall of concussive force and curses.

I was prepared to call up Rho Ais, but a blur of pink suddenly appeared in front of me, and I was bemused to see Ilya in front of me, a luminescent pink shield in front of her. The attack didn't even crack the shield, and I wasn't surprised to find my now-oddly clothed sister look the slightest bit winded from the effort.

That many Gandr couldn't have made Rho Ais budge, but it was conceptual defense of a seven layered fortress walls represented as seven petals. The fact that the shield Ilya just produced blocked it, without any lifelong training, lit up my curiosity and worried me.

"Onii-san…" Her eyes were wide, as if taking me in only after she's saved me. I schooled my features to hide my interest. "Why are dressed like dad?"

"It's… complicated." I stated giving a shrug as sheepishly as I can manage while I concentrated on powering the runes on the coat. They were nowhere near the craftsmanship of a certain Enforcer, but they were more than enough to ensure I would come out the winner should I be able to engage Tohaska on close quarters.

"So you have a brother who's a magus." Tohaska sniffed, finally coming into view, not even the least winded from the number of Gandr she had thrown at me. She looked pointedly at me, her eyes honing in on my weapon. "Even if he's using mundane weapons, he'll be helpful I guess."

"Weapons?" Ilya's eyes scanned me, before honing in on the pistol I had decided to bring along. I was more than a bit relieved that I hadn't chosen to bring the Automatic Rifle chambered for .308 rounds, it was far more intimidating than the measly pistol. "W-why?" She pleaded, I heard the distinct crinkling of fabric as her gloves clenched into fists.

I was tempted to tell her right there and then, but the fact that Tohaska was present quashed that urge quickly. Besides the knowledge that people remained relatively the same from my past life, this Tohaska had already been trained by someone else.

Ilya seemed intent on getting an answer, but I just shook my head.

"I'll tell you after you tell me what's happening." I held up my hand as she started to object, shaking her head. "Leyseritt was worried and told me to look after you, and I was curious to where my little sister went in the middle of the night." I scrubbed her hair with my hand. "No more secrets, I'll tell you where I've been going these past years even. " I promised her, and her eyes lit up.

She knew about magic, I saw no need to hide it from her anymore. The promise of information will mollify her enough so that I could address the current threat.

I swiftly drew the weapon. My Reinforcement on my body with magic, coupled with the light reduction on atmospheric pressure offered by the cloth along with its runes of armor, made the drawing of the weapon a blur to the naked eye, Reinforced or otherwise. I leapt over my sister my step cracking the dry flacking ground beneath my boot, I quickly alleviated the power sent to the pressure dampers and allowed gravity to place me right next to Tohaska.

The arms she had gripping her sides tensed as she felt the barrel of the pistol nudge the side of her head.

"Now." I stated as calmly as I could manage, while thumbing down the safety with an audible 'click'. "Explain your intentions upon my sister, Magus."

The silent warning that her head would be blown off if she so much as twitched went unsaid, but she certainly didn't make any sudden movements.

"Onii-san-"

I raised my hand in her general direction and gave a shake of my head, silencing my sister. The gesture was both kinder and faster than a harsh glare, as well as keeping my eyes on Tohaska. In her last life, she was one of the most resourceful of mages I had ever encountered. The ways she could take advantage of a situation given her aptitude for magic were nearly uncountable, especially when she had proper preparation time. Her jewel magecraft allowed an extreme amount of storage time for any spell she wished to prepare and store, I had no doubt that she can store them indefinable amount of time given the Tohaska's lineage being well founded on the concept.

Her output of 1000 units of Prana was staggering, and, if anything, she seemed to have an even greater proficiency in its usage this time around. The barrage earlier was a testament to the skill differentials in comparison to the Rin I remembered.

She was about half way to the Rin I remembered from my last life, meaning she would still be prone to physical attacks. She would know of this, of course, due to the fact she acknowledged her own limits no matter the amount of arrogance she put on display.

I proded the side of her head with the barrel once more.

"Talk." I stated, and her mouth opened minutely before I felt the familiar spike of magic that was used to initiate Gandr shots from the schools direction, towards my direction.

I ducked underneath the shot, and she leapt away. My hand touched her leg as I attempted to grab hold of her, but she pulled away and kicked off my wrist as a flurry of shots surrounded us.

She wore a dress that would not have been amiss in a few European parties that I've been to, white lace and blue silk that must have cost thousands with a frilly lace bow with a crystal at her neck. Her hand was lifted lazily pointed making to finger pistol that would be fired with humorous amounts of recoil.

An accomplice?

I needed to regain control of the situation, I stayed crouched but transferred my weapon to my left hand and darting my hands into my coat. I felt the cold steel slide between my fingers, stamped and balanced steel slipping between with ease. I flicked my wrist at my new opponent's direction, releasing a single knife from the four between my fingers, while I fired my pistol in Tohaska's direction.

My knife cut through the leather pouch of the newcomer, while the bullet tore into Tohaska's. Gems spilled onto the ground, their primary weapons out of reach I stood up and considered the two Magi.

Their eyes darted towards me and the jewels on the floor, undoubtedly carrying out the calculations of the speeds I had reacted and coming to the same conclusion.

If they reached for them they would die.

"I will not repeat myself." I truly attempted to not growl, but more than a few of the Gandr had barely missed Ilya. My sister stood shaking, whether from being terrified at me for actually firing my gun, or the sudden standoff that had two ladies about to fire Gandr at me. Nonetheless, her ire angered me enough for some of my anger to burn through my calm wall. "State your intentions so I can decide what will occur."

The blonde smirked.

"Why tell you?" She giggled daintily and raising her hand up. "When we can show you?"

"Miyu!" she declared and my eyes caught onto the individual standing in the shadows behind her. "Mirror World Transfer! Fifty meter diameter!"

"Master?" A voice alike Ruby's followed, and my heart sank.

"Do it." A girl whispered stepping into view, with an unreadable look in her eyes.

I realized her dress was almost exactly like my sister, save in color, and she carried a wand that had allowed my sister to utilize magics beyond anything she should have been able to do without the training I knew she did not receive.

A massive magical circle erupted between us, I felt as if the world turned upside down.

And suddenly, right in front of me was Rider, mouth bared and chains ready to strike.

I reacted to the dangerous entity before me, the world blurring until she and I were the only ones present. I steeled my mind, hardening it so that I could execute the actions I wished to enact with as much speed and power as I could, enabling my body to ignore the pains that would stun me.

I raised my leg up to my chest, a burst of Prana into my boot. The climbing spikes within, burnished with black to allow concealment, shot out and I brought it down on the Heroic spirit's shoulder. Her resistance was admirable until I increased the pressure on my body until I weighed three times my own weight.

The spike tore out of her shoulder when I slammed her entire body with one leg onto the pavement, cratering the area with the controlled force. My body protested as I forced it to move and stay upright against the amazing pressure, but I clenched my right hand and drove the three knives through her shoulder blades with both pressure and power behind it.

Regardless of her class, Rider was a Heroic Spirit. Knives of such manufacture would not have harmed her in the slightest. I had them charged and Reinforced with Prana as I drove them in, and the action still felt as if I were driving them through concrete. Coupled with my strength and the heavier gravity affecting my body, the three knives cut into her spinal column.

But if that was all it took to kill the dreaded Medusa, she would not be a Heroic Spirit. A fanged hand knocked me off my balance and she quickly retreated. I noticed something impact her with tremendous power, but ignored it as it merely left a bloody welt and pursued her. I reached into my jacket and pulled a short sword from my Reality Marble into reality.

Crafted in mind for a legionary commander during the Roman Empire, the iron sword was blessed with amazing resiliency in mind. The warrior who wielded it held an entire bridge for hours as his comrades rallied to destroy the same bridge, fighting alone against a seemingly endless army with only the sword and shield.

Slashed at Rider's skin and drew blood, her chains whipped around me and I lightened the pressure so they wouldn't gain force as the tore into my body. The lessening of their weigh allowed my clothes to weather the damage, though I still felt my muscles numb and refuse to act due to the monstrous strength behind her weapons.

This was a battle of speed, and I lashed out with the Roman sword with the Roman commander's knowledge of its nature guiding my arm. My empathy with the weapons history allowing me to use the gladius as if I had trained with it for a lifetime. I parried the chains that would have struck me in my vitals with great efficiency, the number of openings I left open were nearly zero because of the lack of the other sword in my hand.

But the weapon in my left hand had its own advantages.

I leveled the pistol into the lavender haired woman's face, allowing her chains to drive through my arm. I heard a scream but I favored firing the bolt of electricity into the woman's face than caring to look away.

Enough volts to kill an elephant shocked through her, the weapon wasn't made in mind to incapacitate after all.

Rider roared through the tremendous amount of energy, and punched my through the chest, I would have been sent flying without the activation of the seals in my body. My stomach felt like a battering ram had just made impact, but no blood escaped my lips. There would be bruising, but none of my internal organs were damaged.

More magical missiles impacted the beast, a sudden gigantic buildup forced me to rocket away from the enemy. A massive orb of energy impacted her, and dust flew in every direction. I heard sighs of relief behind me, but I reinforced my eyes in search of my enemy.

Rider was damaged, but not dead. Her hand was gripping one of her wicked nails and was about to pierce her throat.

I ignored the pain in my leg as a muscle snapped as I pushed myself past my heightened limits. The dust cleared in front of me as my speed pushed it aside, my feet fell and shattered the ground.

Bellerophon, the Pegasus of Medusa's slayer, was a mystical creature that could charge a target with enough force to level a block. Rho Ais could certainly stop it, but the damage would be catastrophic.

So I made sure she couldn't.

The smoke cleared, her blood was flowing in the sacrifice, magic circles were all around her.

I jammed my gun into her mouth and fired the depleted uranium darts into her throat, and, once the fifteen bullets entered her body, I rammed the Roman gladius into her chest.

For a moment, I wondered if she survived, but I let out a relieved sigh when she began to fade away. Her form steadily decreased until only a card remained where her heart had been. I picked up the card, along with the depleted uranium pellets that had entered the spiritual body.

I reloaded my gun as I heard words said about returning to the real world.

I met Tohaska's gaze with my own, hefting the class card and the gun towards her.

"Where were we?" I asked simply.

…


	2. Chapter 2

The Prismatic Edge

…

Disclaimer: I do not gain currency in this endeavor.

…

There were multitudes of reasons why Kiritsugu had dozens of safe houses in Fuyuki city. Some reasons ranged from disaster shelters, to even an assault of a small army, but there was a certain one that I liked to frequent the most.

"One Chicken Ramen with light Mapo, with a side of Unagi Sushi!" The server called out, and I did my best to put off the smirk that was threatening to build on my features.

"That's mine." I raised my hand and gladly received the bowl of food. Missing breakfast earlier in the day and utilizing magecraft while improperly nourished, stimulated the appetite quite a bit. I turned my gaze to Ilya, who seemed to still staring in horror at the bubbling, red hot concoction before her "You should eat before your ramen gets cold Ilya!" I enthused before casting my gaze on the rest of the group. "You guys should be far more receptive to free meals! It's bad manners to not accept a person's hospitality!"

My actions may have been a touch sadistic, but I was fairly sore about Ilya learning about magic. This was the best way to state my infuriation without actually harming the three I blamed the most for the situation.

Heck, I even noticed that Kirei placed only a single cube of Mapo on mine. The man undoubtedly knows his cooking is hell for others, as I told him as much. I would never have believed anyone who said that we would both work in tandem, but my utilization of his talents was probably well known to him.

"M-mr. Emiya." The blonde stuttered, lightly dabbing at her mouth as I chewed the singular piece of Mapo I had been given. My own mouth burned with the fiery conflagrations of flavor that I had grown rather fond of, akin to how one grows fond of having one's tongue stuck to a frozen pole. I knew very well how much she must be suffering at the hands of Kotomine Kirei. "I t-thank you for the meal, but prior agreements made state…"

"How do you like the meal, Miyu-san?" I inquired with a smile toward the girl about Ilya's age, utterly cutting off the blond magus. I made sure the only one I could attribute without guilt in the fiasco consumed something that Kirie couldn't place Mapo tofu in, so she was pocking at the side plate of Sushi I had ordered. Looking at the girl and Ilya made me feel a rather strange sense of deja-vou, coloration and hair aside, the two seemed exactly the same.

The young girl blushed brightly, idly tugging at the collar of her blouse. The girl was wearing rather formal clothing, with the formal black pants. Mulling that thought over, I was far more thankful of the fact that she wasn't wearing the outrageous, backless leotard that she was wearing in her 'transformed' state.

Zeltrech, I sure as hell hope that you didn't design those costumes, or else I just may have to hunt you down. I may die in the process, but I couldn't let little girls traipse around in such clothing. Nothing to say about that fact that one of them was my adopted sister! The forces of righteousness are with me Zeltrech!

"It tastes very good, onii-Senpai!" The girl's blush reddened to an extreme and she became tongue tied, stuttering for dear life. She must have an older brother, or was simply a foreigner that had quickly grown used to how my sister addressed me.

I gave a small chuckle and ruffled the hair of the girl, the blush deepened but the girl calmed somewhat. However, before I could pull away, the girl reached up to my wrist with her rather frail hands and nestled her cheek against my hand.

"Onii-chan…" She whispered, and I felt a pang of despair as I surmised that wherever her brother was, he must no longer be around. How else to explain her immediate attachment to a big-brother figure?

I felt a source of heat near my cheek, and I turned to Ilya who seemed furious as she held up a piece of chicken from my bowl very close to my face.

"O-onii-chan should eat!" Ilya stammered and I deduced that she must be getting irritated that the promised answers could come. "And focus on eating and-"

I took the bite and Ilya's face lit up.

"Delicious as always, Kirei." I called out to the man as I resumed consuming my meal. I noted how slowly Ilya seemed to start eating her own food, and raised a brow when I realized my chopsticks were still in my hand.

Had she used her own?

"Don't lead on little girls, you loli-con." Tohaska snarked as she picked through her meal with hopelessness. Had she been replaced with a man crawling through the desert, I would probably had not noticed the difference.

Still the insult seemed to jab right through me, but I was ready to counter it. One did not stay friends with Tohaska Rin, and not figure out how to properly argue with Tohaska Rin.

"If I'm a loli-con." I gave the bespectacled girl a smile that promised imminent destruction. The very perceptive woman's face paled, without a doubt she must suddenly feel that she had bitten off more than she could chew. "Doesn't that make you a black-mailing-"

She give a small 'Urk'. Thank you, Ilya, for leaving that note.

'-trigger-happy,"

She slumped, her neck twitching to the side. I knew that I hit my mark well, quite the opposite with the barrage of Gandr she had greeted me with.

"-over-confident,"

Rin was practically using the counter as a support beam. Yes, you threatened a man who single-handedly took down a Servant. Time for the coup da grace.

"-child-abducting, dominatrix?"

And that's what you get for trying to subjugate my little sister.

Rin's face fell, literally onto the counter. The numerous food items lifted off the table before falling back down, perfectly pristine. I would be lying to myself if I said that I didn't totally utilize my knowledge against her. The battle was over when it began, her ego had already been killed, predetermined if anything.

"My god." I heard the blonde sitting beside Miyu, as Rin sat beside Ilya and me between the two youngest. "Such a terrifying display of power…"

I just kept on smiling as I consumed my very, much needed energy. Utilizing the cloak, along with Reinforcement was ridiculously tiring. I would've been far more liberal with application of force without the material however, as my unique abilities were a tad over-board when it came to my new body.

Simply put, I did not want to turn every battlefield into a mess of swords.

"Kirei." I made contact with the eyes of the restaurateur and he gave a nod. A child went over my body, raising goose bumps on my flesh. I pushed forward the bowl of filling, tasty food and clasped my hands together. "You might want to step outside for a bit."

The man gave a small huff.

"I do not believe in information being passed under my roof that I'm not aware of." The cool voice of the chef was the same dull, monotone that I despised. This Kirei, however, was just an average sleeper agent.

"You're quite knowledgeable of all the things I'm going to talk about." I stated brightly, curving my lips upward in a facsimile of a positive emotion. "I want my little sister's entrance into _our_ world as… gradual as possible."

The cook gave a scoff, but he picked up a packet of cigarettes on the counter and left through the back. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, settling into the mindset I utilized when I was about to be interrogated.

I didn't believe that I would last long against the combined might of these curious ladies. My life wasn't in danger, and that particular fact made withholding information far more difficult.

There was also the matter of the puppy dog eyes I was fully aware that the two girls in the group would be able to do at will. Those particular weapons of mass destruction should be banned from interrogation, but I was faced with the prospect of facing it. The multiple outcomes I envisioned were grim to say the least.

"I'm ready to take your question Ilya." I released the breath and awaited for the tidal wave of questions.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Ilya-san…" Miyu interjected lightly. "…do you not have any questions?"

"I-it's just that it's so sudden!" My sister suddenly wailed, and I diverted my straightforward gaze to my sister. She was clutching at her head and shaking to and fro, always to one for theatrics, whatever the dimension. "I can't think of anything! It's like a surprise test!"

"But you're not even the one answering questions…" Miyu weakly pointed out, and I would be lying if I didn't agree with her.

"Miss Ilya!" the blonde suddenly declared, "I implore you to inquire as to how he was so able to ruthlessly put down a figure of mythology!"

"Now, now." I met the eyes of the drill-coned blond. "I'm more than happy to answer your questions, but Ilya's take priority, since I promised her I would."

I turned my gaze to my sister, and she gave a weak shrug. Seems as though I would have to answer questions of the sort that would only serve to confuse, rather than clarify. I was quite content with that as a matter of fact.

"I unloaded approximately nine high-density bullets down her throat, eviscerating her insides to the degree that she was damaged beyond repair." I supplied in a tone that brokered no argument. The sword didn't kill her, it was just a method in killing her. The blonde opened her mouth but I wagged my finger at her. "Uh-uh, no second questions from the peanut gallery, that's all you will get from me tonight.

"How were you able to keep up with the servant then." Rin interjected, the tone of voice quite familiar to me. The magus persona of Rin Tohaska was as cold as ice, and had the precision of a scalpel. "That's my question."

"Reinforcement and a few runes here and there." I smiled as her mouth opened to inquire about runes, when they suddenly closed with a nasty grinding sound. I was friends with her for nearly an entire lifetime, she could hardly expect a fair fight. "Very,very good Reinforcement if makes you feel any better." I chuckled.

"As expected of a lower class of magus like yourself Tohaska." The blonde clad in a decidedly formal outfit, gave a rather obnoxious laugh. "Not even able to procure more information despite prior knowledge of rules, unlike myself!"

"Stuff it, Edelfelt!" Rin growled with no small amount of venom, and I was admittedly flummoxed at the entire exchange.

I held no doubt, that if the situations were reversed the same exact thing would be happening. The two were practically the same polarity, to nearly the extent that I was surprised both of them were still standing. They almost seemed to be a pair of contentious sibling rivals.

I was about to make my thoughts on the matter known, when the black-haired girl suddenly inquired herself.

"Who are you?" She stated softly, gazing imploringly at me. I knew very well that I could just answer with my name… "Please?"

Well shit.

I scratched the back of my head, before scratching t my cheek as I took control of the nasty habit. Too much time spent with Ilya was probably working against me, but I couldn't exactly just provide basic information without regretting it.

"Well… for starters." I closed my eyes and gave a sigh as I attempted to find a suitable explanation. "I'm Shirou Emiya, Ilya's parents adopted me a while back and taught me to use magic when they found out I had it, after they rescued me."

There, that should be enough, now to focus on my little sister-

"You were a survivor of the fire from almost a decade ago ." Rin instantly deduced, and there seemed to be unspoken communication between the two young women. "So you obviously know about the Holy Grail War."

Hah, more than you could ever imagine.

…

"So in essence Zeltrech screwed as over." I finished lamely, giving a small sigh echoed by my father on the line. "You and mom might as well take your time, I have a feeling that more than a few people are interested in these 'cards'."

I received an affirmation from my father, and I threw away the disposable phone with a sigh. The incinerator burned it into a crisp in moments, filling the room with the scent of burned plastic. It was masked by the scent of oil however, and I waited patiently for the metal casings to cool in their containers.

Depleted Uranium was such a pain to re-forge, the bullet needed to be basically rewound around the projectile, rather than reinsertion. I usually didn't work in such conditions as well, but I could hardly be choosy of where I re-armed myself. The attic of the house, did not make for the best armory. I would've been happier to go on the safe-house on the side of the mountain, but Sella had the unfortunate habit of checking in on both myself and Ilya in the middle of the night.

I would've been touched, if not for the fact I had to crawl through the walls every time I registered her footsteps coming closer.

I felt a presence suddenly appear next to me, and I moved quickly to apprehend the presence that had so easily snuck upon me.

"Whoa there, Onii-san!" The star-embedded scepter, Ruby, held by knife by the tips of its wings. "You're quite the jumpy sort aren't you!"

"How did you find me?" I quickly asked, pressing the knife down with greater force. I was a tad annoyed at how the knife refused to move. I had a feeling that the dang thing was indestructible.

"Easy there now!" If an inanimate object could express the feeling of being nervous, Ruby did so very well. It may have been a trick of the light, but I most certainly could attest to moisture akin to sweat begin to drip down on it. "I just detected a source of magic in the vicinity and decided to check it out, is all!"

My mind went awhirl before I removed the knife.

"Can your sister do that as well?" I inquired, masking a grimace at the thought of Miss Edelfelt knowing where I lived, and therefore where Ilya lived. I didn't know how well Kiristugu would handle a magus knowing where we lived, but I knew quite well that my mother will most certainly answer that question the same way she answered most threats to her family.

With a giant wire-constructed fist coming in from the stratosphere at Mach one. The amount of Prana she had was incredible, and some fool had the audacity to sell her more wire. Needless to say, Kiritsugu hardly wanted for support in any mission he chose to undertake. Though many astronomers are baffled at the thought of the dozens of invisible, oddly shaped meteors suddenly impacting throughout the globe.

"Yeah!" The staff's lower body simply disappeared, becoming no more than a star embedded in a circle surrounded by wings. "But unless she becomes your neighbor or something, she won't be able to detect you guys!"

"But she can detect you anywhere, can't she?"

The winged emblem was silent, and I had to give a small sigh.

I was already hearing the relentless toil of the construction crews across the street. I had no doubt that I would be walking out tomorrow, and seeing a massive mansion in front of the house.

"So…" I interjected as smoothly as I was able, "Mind clearing some light on why my sister has to fight heroes of the past ages?"

The small emblem fluttered about my pseudo-workshop, as though pacing.

"My creator sent my former master and her rival to seal of the Holy Grail System." The emblem fluttered about, until nestling itself on my head. I felt it's body shake as it spoke, and I surmised that it vibrated air to speak. Interesting concept, especially given the lack of mouth. " Miss Luvia and Miss Rin decided to fight it out before we even met the first spirit, so my sister and I decided to find some more level headed people to do as we were designed!"

Yeah, given the dynamics I saw between the two earlier, I could see that happening. In fact, I doubted Rin would've reacted otherwise, even if her fellow student wasn't so unashamedly alike her. Maybe I should be glad someone as equally skilled and hard-headed as Rin was her rival?

…nope, I had a feeling that their fights would only increase until reaching a timely and explosive climax. Rin would most certainly drag it out for all it was worth, and Miss Edelfelt most certainly did not seem to be the type who would give up.

Both of them promised headaches in the feature.

"I feel as though they're going to be quite the troublesome pair in the future." I admitted my thoughts in a far more receptive nature. The emblem flopped about on my head, as though convulsing.

I started hearing guffaws a moment later, and I ascertained that the mystical code was laughing its ass off.

"There's –ha ha ha- a large chance that you and your family will have to move just ot hide your secrets." The Mystic Code guffawed.

"They most assuredly can't be that bad." I protested, pondering what a Rin trained by the Wizard Marshall could possibly-

"Oh god…" I muttered as the emblem continued to flop uselessly upon my hair. "This is going to be terrible."

…

If there was anything I liked about spending an entire night re-forging bullets, it was the few times Leyseritt would actually allow me to utilize the coffee maker.

Coffee had… an interesting effect on Ilya for some reason unknown. The liquid seemed to both make my little sister hopelessly crazed and energetic. As such things were thoroughly disagreeable with most of humanity, everything that was used to make coffee was placed in a safe which required two pin-codes to be utilized effectively.

Still, on the days that Leyseritt decided to show mercy upon me, I was able to drink my fill.

And it was amazing to do so.

Energized I went out to walk my sister to school and-

"Onii-chan," Ilya mumbled as she tugged at my cuff, it was very difficult to maintain the smile I opened the door with. "Did Luvia-san do this?"

"Yes, Ilya, I believe she did." I kept my expression placid as a limo longer than the front of my house appeared. Rin most certainly couldn't have even had the fence of the house set up. "Whatever you do Ilya, don't mention this to Tohaska-san."

The window of the limo pulled down, and I was surprised to behold a familiar, if stretched, uniform of my school upon the absurdly rich heiress.

"Emiya-san." The heiress addressed me with no small amount of stress behind her forced smile. "Would you mind to ride with myself to our school?"

There were many reasons this could be currently happening. The Edelfelt heiress could've contacted her family and inquired about me, possibly receiving a call from a certain terrifying power rapidly ascending ranks. There could have been a debacle over-night between Tohaska and Edelfelt, culminating in the need for an ally…

In retrospect, I should've immediately surmised the second reason. How else could Luvia be sporting a bandage on her right cheek? Rin's martial arts techniques always did favor a swift punch to discombobulate, before a heel kick to the temple.

I gave the heiress the driest smile I could.

"I'm afraid I have far more important duties than enjoying something so comfortable, Edelfelt-san." I gave a rather twitchy smile as I began to hear whispering of the more curious neighbors. The Gullwing didn't nearly get this much attention, admittedly, but you'd think they'd be able to mind their business about automobiles by now. "Escorting my sister to her school is paramount."

"Oh! Does she go to the local all-girls elementary school?" The heiress inquired, a glint of mischievousness sparking in her eye. I gave a hesitant nod in affirmation. "Then you can escort Miyu-san as well!"

"!" I heard a muffled yell within the car, before the window slammed shut. However, it did not close fast enough for me to miss the stylized pig-tails that a certain fiery magus favored to sport.

A loud quarrel suddenly came to my attention as well as Ilya's. The two of us shared a glance, remembering the same situation a year ago, concerning our parents and my father's old student.

"The two of them are almost like Auntie and Mom." Ilya whispered, had to admit the two of them quarreled quite a lot. Though there was a rather stark difference in that they weren't both clambering for the attentions of a man.

"It's a tad terrifying." I admitted with a nod, as Tohaska and Luvia quarreled within the car. I noticed the window of the driver's seat open, and a gloved hand waving me over. I approached, with Ilya's hand still in my own. "Hello?"

The man appeared to be of Euro-Asian descent, and the picturesque butler. The grayed hair and the well-kept facial hair did nothing but accentuate his features. He was also somehow able to utilize a British accent while speaking Japanese, extraordinary.

"Hello mister Emiya, my name is Claude." The man doffed his chauffeur hat, and I nearly did the same despite my lack of one. I felt terribly incompetent in not doing song, especially since Ilya was able to return to gesture with her own hat. He only gave a chuckle as he saw my mistake, this man was somehow making me feel bad and good at the same time. This man was doubtlessly a man of great taste and etiquette. "As my mistress bickers with her friend, may you mind to give me the directions to the grand restaurant my lady had brought back food from? The spices of the dish were unparalleled. I had only tasted such food on my last tour to the jungles of Vietnam a decade ago."

I gave a nod towards the man, and quickly began describing the way to Kotomine's stand. He was the epitome of fine language, as he was able to somehow able to both listen, yet contribute to the entire conversations at the same time.

I had just finished my directions, and he gave his final thanks when we were called to the back of the limousine.

Ilya tugged on my cuff.

"I think I see why people hire butlers from England." She admitted with no small amount of awe. I couldn't help but agree with her, simply speaking with the man was refreshing.

"I do to, Ilya, I do to."

Ilya muttered something about maids, but I chose to ignore it. There were reasons as to why our family was never allowed outside on Halloween, and that had been the dreadful choice of humoring Sella and Leyseritt with French maid costumes.

Despite sporting quite the number of bruises, Edelfelt was still able to smile as she handed off Miyu to us.

"Please see to it that you return her to us after her schooling!" The heiress cried, and I noted the hand that her foot was upon as we the door closed.

"I'm afraid that I have a club after school." I quickly told the heiress, but I glanced at Ilya. "My sister walks to our home after-school, so I am sure that she will be able to do so with Miyu-san with no problems at all."

I saw a thumbs up before the limo began to pull away, bumping to and fro despite the completely flat road.

"You live with Edelfelt-san?" I inquired of the girl and she gave a slow nod of affirmation.

"I work as her mai-"

Nobles only had one use for normal folk, and nobles also had an obsession with tradition. Miyu, without a doubt, was working as a maid and wore the uniform.

In an effort to maintain the meager remains of my family's reputation I covered her mouth before she could state the dreaded trigger word.

In the event that anyone saw me muffling a girl before she could speak, well that was a better choice than what would happen in public.

"O-onii-san!?" Ilya suddenly decided to cry out, "What are you doing with Miyu- mmghrp"

Ignoring the whisperings in the many windows, I took both their hands and made my way out of the neighborhood.

Oddly enough, if there was a dreaded reenactment of the Halloween on last year, I would feel more embarrassed than I would have looking like a kidnapper running with two girls in tow.

…

"You're late Shirou/Senpai," Were the words that greeted me as I barely made it past the closing gate. The bell signaling the need to start walking to class ringing.

Sakura and Ayako, the two I spent a rather large time with given our respective clubs and friendships, didn't seem too pleased about that particular fact at all.

"You, huff, didn't need to wait for me, huff." I should've really utilized Reinforcement, even with my body far better than anyone else could match in this school, I had yet to grow into my future physique.

The two girls exchanged glances, before giving me a decidedly dour look that told me I was being stupid for just making that statement. The same look also conveyed the dreaded, 'yes we know you fucked up, and that you know you fucked up, but we're not going to tell you how you fucked up' that plagued me through nearly all my interactions with women.

"Seriously, Shirou." Ayako huffed as she moved to assist me, hands on her waist. The archery-club captain looked decidedly disappointed. "You really need to work on your sleeping routines if you expect to keep your schedule up."

"Senpai," Sakura fidgeted lightly, though that was the only inclination of the one I had been used to. The purple-haired maiden gave me a dazzling smile that also, somehow, promised no small amount of pain for reasons unknown. "It isn't very nice to keep two young women waiting."

"Yes, yes." I hastily agreed as both approached me, helping carry me. There was a bench nearby and the first few minutes of homeroom were generally dismissed on principle. "Thanks for your hel- oof"

I made that noise on the express note that a soccer ball from the rapidly, rushing soccer team suddenly impacted my stomach. Their early practice in the courtyard at school, was something that I admired until the stray ball impacted with my stomach. Given my lack of balance, I went tumbling down.

Had that been the case, I would have had two faithful supports, but the evils of the soccer ball had yet to cease.

As Sakura was in mid-step as it impacted and rolled off my stomach, she hastily stepped down to balance herself and aid me. In the process she slipped upon the ball, sending her flying up with a grip on my hand.

In that extreme scenario, Ayako would've been stressed to hold us up. Due to her strength training however, that would've been only a tad difficult.

The horrors had yet to cease, however, and the ball that Sakura had stepped on chose what it considered was the path of least resistance and flew right into Ayako's face.

Through that extremely unlikely set of events, that I noticed every one of, I fell to the ground and darkness enveloped me.

A decidedly soft , darkness that smelled of fabric softener. There was also a suspicious weight on my abdomen, and a shifting of the darkness.

"My god." I suddenly heard, it was probably one of the Soccer team. "How the hell did he manage to do that?!"

"Oh, it's just Emiya-san." The low staccato of the captain intoned nearby. He was probably only picking up his ball and leaving, just as many males tend to do. "This tend to happen to him from time to time."

"Is he blessed?!" The first voice suddenly demanded. "Because I have plenty of tributes ready for whatever shrine he goes to."

"It's more of a curse than a blessing." The captain laughed and I felt their footsteps leave.

"It seems that your terrible luck is still in effect, Shirou." Ayako mused, decidedly tracing some obscure symbols into my abdomen. I could see the luminescent blush on her face despite my predicament.

"Senpai-no-ecchi." Sakura intoned lightly, placing her token on the same boat as Ayako as it were.

"Please let me up." I intoned quietly. "You know how this tends to happen."

What tends to happen is that I tend to be totally incapacitated whenever such a ludicrous situation occurs. The only way out without even more other-worldly actions occurring, was for the females in question slowly got up.

If I even _attempted_ to move, the whole situation would get worse. The last attempt I had, after I slipped into the girls locker room of the Archery club, ended up with situation that would not have been out of place in ancient hedonistic cultures.

I had no idea how I was managing it, but I desperately wished I did.

Maybe if I did, I wouldn't end up with my oldest friend straddling me, and my junior sitting on my face.

"EMIYA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" A certain fiery magus suddenly yelled from the gate. How did they take so long to get here?

"O-oh, my how bold of you…" another voice tittered, "In broad daylight as well."

"Hello," Ayako possibly waved towards them. "You must be new here."

"Welcome to Fuyuki." Sakura intoned hospitably. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Please, get up." I begged.

…


	3. Chapter 3

The Prismatic Edge

…

Disclaimer: I do not make monetary gain from this enterprise.

…

"Is this truly necessary?" I inquired with a sigh. The day was quite nice, the first time I've actually taken notice in a while. The breeze was ample, the sky as blue as ever, and the clean scent of the nearby forest calmed me somewhat. Though the factor of what was currently happening truly dampened my mood.

"Yes," Rin Tohsaka all but spat in my face. The enterprising magus was quite angry to say the least, and for reasons I knew quite well enough. All the misdirection I provided the other night, would've been noticed and irritated her to no end. "This is very, very necessary, Emiya-san. So if you know what's good for you…"

My old-friend's threat was cut short as I opened a non-descript panel on the side of a wall. I took a moment to examine what was inside, a tad exaggeratedly despite myself, and produced a magazine and an assault rifle.

I made my knowledge of the lack of words known, as I counted the number of bullets in the double drum magazine and chambered a round.

"Well…" I stated as dryly as I was able. "Go ahead and finish your threat to the magus who's lived in this town for most of his life." The threat wasn't quite as veiled as it seemed, since it was common knowledge that a prepared magus was the most dangerous kind. "I can wait before I give my own."

"Sir Emiya." The blonde Edelfelt interceded quite easily into the conversation. To express my acknowledgement of her presence, I gestured at her with the gun that I swiveled to her direction. "Err… I beseech you to consider answering our questions, your sister's life will be in much lesser danger if we combine our forces."

"So the two of you really placed two little girls into a situation where they may die." I raised a brow as both of them both looked as they were slapped. "That doesn't seem all to be akin to what I would seek in allies, ladies. Mind you, I use that term lightly."

"You're a magus as well." Rin stated the beginning of a hard counter to an argument, as she did every time she was backed into a corner of a proverbial argument. "You know all too well what lengths we go through to accomplish our goals."

"I kill people that say that." I provided my own hard counter, and emphasized it with a certain action that enunciated it. In my last life, I accomplished this by providing some sort of technological advancement she refused to acknowledge, this time I did it by screwing on a silencer. "I suggest you move away from the argument that denotes that my little sister as anything less than the proverbial King on your strategies concerning killing whatever monsters you're seeking."

"I suppose that accounts for me as well." The Edelfelt commented a tad dryly, a wan smile gracing her lips. An idle glance towards Rin, and I wasn't surprised to see a somewhat similar expression on her face. The grimace may have been a tad forced, but the relaxed posture she displayed told me all that I needed to know. "I suppose that we shall exchange information the usual way."

"The usual way." I agreed, the one where all parties present could kill one another to be exact. "I ask, you answer. Then you ask and I answer." I saw a gleam in both their eyes, and I felt no small amount of enjoyment as I stated my next ultimatum. "I get to ask you each one question, but you two will have to ask me one unanimously."

"That's hardly fair, Emiya-san." My old friend's lip twitched upward the slightest amount. I knew her ways of convoluting a situation well enough that she would've done the same in my place.

"Well you two are on the same side." I supplied my illogical reasoning with a smile. It was illogical in the way that it was completely to my benefit, and because of that the two magus present understood it quite well. "I don't want to show bias, and I may not want to ally both of you, so it's best if I can ask you both one question at a time."

The blonde gave another wan smile, quite different from the superior attitude she sported around the children. Though I supposed that she both her and Rin acknowledged the amount of danger I posed far more than I expected, and they both decided not to show it in front of the children. Masks were crafted quite well by Magi to fool mundane humans, I supposed that with a family such as her own, Edelfelt was accustomed to making even more convincing masks.

"Alright." I mused aloud, gesturing towards my very young, old friend. "Why don't you tell me why you are here?"

"Because you didn't ask." The Tohaska heiress grinned as she replied, savoring her small victory. I gave a nod towards her choice in wording, I gained more information than she realized. This new version of Rin was much better trained, and far more confident in her skills than she used to be. The magus attending my school was also considering me an enemy, nothing I wasn't accustomed to say the least, but not from her in particular.

I shifted towards the lighter haired of the two.

"Who is the man who ordered you here?" I inquired, and I saw the small grin on Rin's face dissipate. Had I not felt any sort of loyalty to her, I would've continued my line of questioning a tad but more veiled. Immediately presenting a question that could not be misconstrued made my first a hoax, as it was, and she would worry of it quite a bit.

"Wizard Marshall Zeltrech." A small amount of the pompous lady I had witnessed reappeared at that declaration. Being apprenticed to the Wizard Marshall was no small feat in fact, even though I was simply reinforcing my ruse. "We came here to- mmgrph"

I raised a brow as Rin seemingly crossed the ten foot distance between them in a millisecond to cover the girls mouth.

"Our turn." Rin stated sweetly, though judging from the anguished expression on her face her counterpart wasn't taking kindly to her actions at all. "What sort of magic did you utilize to move so fast last night?"

"A few runes here and there." I supplied with a tone just as disgustingly sweet. I could play quite a game of verbal fencing with Rin before my demise. Admittedly it was odd to be in control of the conversation for once.

This was going to be quite the length conversation.

…

"So how was your lunch, Senpai?" Sakura asked with a smile that would've caused cavities. I knew her well enough that she wasn't pleased with me in the slightest. "We didn't see you anywhere near where we usually sat."

Ah, of course, I must've forgotten my own social obligations during lunch.

"I was showing the new students to the school." I supplied though I wished the inkling of apprehension didn't leak into my somewhat confident excuse. Sakura and I were quite close, and in that regard she was used to speaking to me so much that our conversations tended to be proverbial battlefields in some cases. "Took up most of lunch time, though I managed to get something to eat."

A plastic wrapper dropped onto my head, and nearly instantly fell from its perch because of the sweeping motions I was going through. I wasn't going to foist cleaning the club room on the younger club members, so I took it upon myself to do it. As nice as Sakura and Ayako were, a year of continuously cleaning the same area wore upon even the most considerate person.

"Well we saved you some of that bread you liked." Ayako stated, already in her costume along with the rest of the freshmen. By the gleam in her eye, I knew that the bread that I caught with my hand was the only one I found distasteful. "Be sure to enjoy it, Shirou!"

Sakura gave a soft giggle as she moved to the dressing room.

The piece of bread then decided that the adhesive strip holding it was no longer up to par and slithered out of the wrapper. I watched in horror as it landed directly beneath where Sakura's foot was about to land.

My mind already running through damage control, I dropped the broom and grabbed the hem of my club uniform. The airy nature of the costume caused more than a few problems in the incidents that tended to occur. I was pushing for tracksuits, since I the last incident occurring with the uniforms somehow ended up with the women in the equation topless.

The door opened, Rin and Luvia strode in with permission slips in their hands.

Right into the path of the broom I just dropped to the floor.

Rin tripped first, and immediately grabbed onto the nearest person. Due to circumstances unknown to me, Luvia pushed her away and Rin reciprocated. I had no doubt that if they were any other two people, they would've been fine. Well… as long as those two other people were a combination of the two sexes, or both male. I was quite sure that if there was another male in the club, I wouldn't nearly have this many problems.

The two tumbled into me, and I was enshrouded in darkness once more. This time there was not weight upon my waist, but on my chest were my left hand _had_ been holding my uniform closed. At the moment it was clutching at something quite soft and firm.

Oh hey is that silk? Well now I know for the fact the Edelfelt was currently sitting upon my face. Neither one of the other two ladies upon me wore silk.

I resent myself thoroughly for that knowledge.

"And here I was thinking that was all one big joke." Rin suddenly huffed, her breath tingling across my neck. I supposed she was the one basically wrapped around my chest, though how she ended up underneath Luvia's skirt as well was beyond me. "Luvia, would you mind taking your lips off the freshman and get your skirt off of us?"

I can only imagine that Sakura fell upon my waist and forward the same moment Luvia fell upon my face and the action occurred to her. The lip lock would've been a tad more risqué if the two were-

I heard some muffled sounds.

"How did your hands end up under her shirt?!" Rin growled, making me gulp as I did my very best to stay absolutely still. By the declarations being made, this was one wrong move from turning into something short of an orgy.

"I was un-buttoning my shirt to change." Sakura supplied helpfully. "I was just about to go into the changing area." There was a thoughtful silence. "How has your stay in the school been? I hope nothing is amiss."

"It's been nice." Luvia squeaked after that statement, and I endeavored to keep my eyebrows still after that.

"Senpai stay still." Sakura stated with absolute authority. "These girls aren't used to it, so we're going to take some time. Patience is a virtue, Senpai."

I heard affirmations all around the Archery Dojo, most of them encouragements. The situation saddened me greatly, since it was to be expected. Slow deliberate movements were the key to victory, and the first instances where the situations occurred was hardly that. The first few times it occurred, the tangle of limbs that occurred were but single steps away from public indecency.

I truly should've been glad that Rin and Luvia were magi. They had self-control in spades, and were adaptable to almost every situation in most respects. Sakura's example of staying still until the lynch pin of the entire formation could be found, must've been immediately copied by the two. I would've been far more happy, but I really just wanted to get out at the moment.

"Alright, Tohsaka-san." Sakura stated cheerily, and I felt hopes rise within the depths of my soul. "I will remove my hands from underneath your undergarment, and I want you to do the same with Edelfelt-san. If the two of you feel any sort of resistance from the movement, it is best if you tell me and try not to see how it goes."

I would've sighed, if not for the fact I was afraid that it will cause any more discrepancies to rise in the situation. As far as I knew, breathing was the only thing I could do freely in the current situation.

…

"So how was your day, Ilya?" I inquired as she walked up to me. I used to come to her school with a bike, but I had to unfortunate shortsightedness to attempt to us the bike while reinforcing myself. The poor thing was in thirty parts after the brief tunnel down the cliff was sorted out.

"Miyu's good at everything!" My sister was practically foaming at the mouth, and both Miyu and I winced at the volume of her cry. "She broke the current Olympic record in PE!"

"Well I'd guess she trained for most of her life then." I wagered, and the girl gave a deft nod. "See Ilya, with enough training you can achieve anything!"

"I don't need to extract any moral values from this!" My sister declared with a huff, and I shared a look with Miyu. "I know how all this goes! Miyu's the perfect rival! I've watched plenty of magical girl shows!"

"Not something to be proud of," I patted my little sister's head and gestured to the giggling townsfolk along our route home. "And not something you should yell out in public either."

"Is that statement true due to the social stigma it bears or due to the secrecy of magic?" Miyu inquired softly and I gave a chuckle as I patted her to. I really shouldn't but they were far too adorable for their own good, and seeing the girl set up a joke was priceless.

"A little bit of both." I admitted with a small chuckle, Ilya making a loud huff while her cheeks colored. "Did you make any friends Miyu-san?"

Ilya was about to speak on that regard, but I gave her a pointed look that made her pout. Mother was enough of a gossip for the entire family, thank you very much. While I respected Kiritsugu my entire life, I will never forgive him for introducing her to soap operas. There was always the idle chance that she'd suddenly declare I was adopted while we ate dinner together, and I'd always have to play along.

Pass the peas, mom?

I-I'm not your mother Shirou-kun…

Oh noooo.

I never ask my mom to pass me anything at the dinner table now, I'm sure that's only made it worse since she's taking any opportunity I called her 'mom' to do it.

"I did not see any point in gaining acquaintances." Miyu stated succinctly, and I gave my sister another pointed glare as she made spirals with her finger at her head. "So I did my best to rebuff their advances."

"Well if you don't feel like making friends, I can't force you." I conceded with smile. "Though I have to say that you should consider other's feelings before you do something along those lines."

Ilya was about to protest when I met her eyes and put my arm over her shoulder.

"I don't want any words concerning relationships from you little social butterfly." Ilya blushed at the statement, my little sister had dozens of friends at school. Though she had half a dozen very good, though a tad odd, friends. "You make friends by breathing, so you shouldn't complain when someone just wants to take their time about those kind of things."

"Yes, Onii-san." Ilya didn't meet my eyes, but snuggled closer until the idle touch became an embrace.

There was a moment of an aura I couldn't exactly place, as though two animals were facing off. The moment dissipated as Miyu decided she wanted a hug as well.

Though the ominous sound of gritting teeth put me off, the rest of the walk was done in relative silence.

…

"Hey, Shirou!" My not-mom waved at the camera with a large grin. Unlike Kiritsugu, she never seemed to change beyond the ethereal form I first saw her as. If Ilya grew to be anything like her, I'll probably have a weekly quota of men to threaten in a few years. I was just glad she wasn't interested in that sort of thing just yet. "Kiritsugu taught me to connect over the internet just by myself!"

"I'm glad to see that." I wasn't being anything but honest in that regard. Though proficient in alchemy and other more complicated magics, she wasn't exactly created to be intuitive to modern technology as most natural men and women. She wasn't bad, she just lacked some common sense towards some of the objects. That particularity turned deadly whenever she got behind the wheel of anything resembling a vehicle, though. "Dad's busy?"

"Yep!" My mother stated cheerfully, moving the camera. I surmised she was using a laptop. "Wave hello dear!"

My father did so, his other hand firing into a dark hallway from which much obscenities were coming forth. Judging by the dry expression on his face, he accounted for my mother's move and predetermined that hand wave about thirty seconds ago to concentrate on the fight.

"So what's this about two mages showing up?" My mother inquired with a grin.

"Well it seems that the Holy Grail wasn't as thoroughly destroyed as it was supposed to be." I explained, "So the Wizard Marshall sent his two apprentices to eradicate what was left of the remains."

"Kiritsugu." I heard a somewhat dull voice state, and I saw my mother's ever smiling face twitch the slightest amount. "I have brought the rocket launcher."

"Thank you, Maiya." Needless to say years of marriage made Emiya Kiritsugu much more appreciative of other people. Gone were the days he merely gave a glance when someone gave him something.

"Hello, Shirou." The woman dressed in a utilitarian fashion.

"Sub." My mother addressed my aunt before I could return my greeting.

"Dominatrix." My aunt stated with not a single twitch upon her face.

For the sake of my sanity, I refused to acknowledge those words in any meaningful way.

"Lorelei has been asking about you." Maiya stated in her usual placid tone. Had I been only hearing the words, I would've found it quite normal. Contrary to my desire to have a normal conversation, she was very much attempting to push my mother out of the way of the camera while speaking to me. "There's been certain incidents that is making me worry about our home."

"You don't live with us!" My mother snarled, pushing back quite roughly. Maiya showed no discomfort in the process at all, and began to struggle with no hint of emotion on her face.

"I live in the house next to yours." Maiya reluctantly agreed to my mother's statement. The woman was quite adamant about not lying in front of me in Ilya, something she liked to lord over my mother ever since the day Ilya cried about the tooth fairy not being real. There was a serious lack of holidays within my immediate family. "But I spend most of my time in your home anyway…"

"No!" my mother's sudden yell and abrupt action shook the screen. "You are not using that 'logic' thing against me! You do not use it correctly."

"Because I do not spend time in my home, and instead spend it in yours, it is my home as well." Maiya delivered rapidly, exploiting my mother's dislike for her 'logic'. "Therefore I am part of your family despite the fact I am not hired and a woman not of blood relation. By that train of thought am entitled a place on Kiritsugu's-"

My mother lunged at my aunt and a wild catfight ensued, and an explosion summed up the end of the battle my father had been waging.

"Hey, Shirou." Kiritsugu gave me a tired smile as he shouldered the still smoking tube of the RPG. "Lorelei's been sniffing about for your whereabouts, I think it's about time you give her a visit."

That was why I liked my father, he always managed to sum up what I needed to know without needing to tear up clothes, or through an elaborate set of traps.

"I'll buy plane tickets today." I promised him, hefting the sheet of college accredited work I was working on. "After I get my homework done, of course."

"Good," He affirmed, swerving his head to the side as a piece of mother's skirt went flying by. I presumed he was walking with the camera, and carrying the laptop to a place it wouldn't get caught in the "How is the situation concerning Ilya?"

"I've placed the people with the most knowledge in the bonded mystic codes in charge of making sure they are up to their task." I didn't need to say that I held them at gun point and made sure to threaten every aspect of their lives, that was just the standard ways of doing things in family. "I'll be accompanying them tonight, so I-"

"You need to be in Tokyo by tomorrow morning." Kiritsugu suddenly stated and I blinked as I realized that the man was listening intently into his cellular phone. "One of our clients squealed and told her where we had our last dead drop."

I furrowed my brow, before my eyes widened in realization.

"That's only a few dozen stops away from where we live!" A few hundred miles was very, very close of a range for a decent Magus at the very least. I went over the last of my formulas, before packing them into my bag and dropping it into the red basket. Leyseritt would make sure the work gets to school, and I had already asked for all the assignments in advance in the event of such an emergency. Kiritsugu liked a twenty-four hour deployment period at any given time, and dropping anything important to my future as the first doctor/lawyer in space wasn't acceptable.

"Metro or Gullwing?" I questioned as I took one of the large cases containing my combat clothing. I had spares and a few different versions of each, I took the one lined with the most wind negation as per standard procedure when concerning the budding Queen of Clock Tower.

"Take the motorcycle." My father immediately stated, and the sounds of cat-fighting immediately stopped as my father's eyes widened to extreme proportions. "Oh shi-"

Two sensible shoes impacted on my father's face, each of different design.

Both the larger female influences in my lives sported tears in their outfits. Maiya's clothes lacked the many buttons that held it together, while my mother lacked sleeves and a collar.

"You are not allowed on that motorcycle/death machine!" Both the women declared, not even batting an eyelash at support they provided one another.

"It's a matter of secrecy!" I insisted, though my will was already flagging under the impossibility I was being presented. "We could be found out if I don't get there on time!"

"Shirou." Maiya interceded with great care. "You managed to destroy half of a freeway intersection with a bicycle."

"Were asking you not to do it for the greater good." My mother agreed, and I felt more than a tad embarrassed. Did I really forget that I had been riding down the freeway on that bicycle? All my spotty memory of the event seemed to relinquish was the fact my bicycle was broken. " We just don't want any repeats of last time…"

"Fine." I huffed stopping myself short of crossing my arms onto my chest. "I'll just take the Gullwing then."

The two women shared a sigh of relief, their eyes meeting and become frigid once more. The laptop was dropped to the ground unceremoniously, giving me a grand view of my father's prone form before I cut the connection.

In hindsight, if Ilya grew up to be anything like her mother, I might have to save quite a few unwary souls instead of my planned big brother threats.

…

"This is so nice!" Ilya gushed over the plush interior of the Gullwing, and I allowed my ego to preen at the declaration. Kiritsugu and I spent a lot of time making the car all it could be, one of the many father-son projects we pursued. "I can't believe this is all real!"

Yeah, we really went all out on the insides. Wood vinyl, leather, we didn't modify the outside very much, as to keep the car in classic condition. Though all that was measly compared to the structural changes we made, missile-proof was just the tip of the ice-berg for this car.

"So where are we going off to, madam?" I inquired jokingly with my best English accent. It was a far cry from the Butler that I had just met this morning, and I felt slightly ashamed of myself for it.

"It is at the clearing near the bridge, chauffer." Ilya copied Luvia's pomp quite well, clapping her hands together. "I must be there forthwith!"

We shared chuckles.

"So what do you think about the car, Ruby?" I inquired of the usually talkative mystic code. The staff was more than slightly talkative, she'd talk your ears of given the chance.

"It's the best~" I cast an eye over the mirror angled to sight the back and had to withhold a chuckle as the stick made its form akin to jelly. The mystic code was entertaining to say the least, her creator was most definitely Zeltrech in that regard. No magus would have the figurative balls to make such a thing.

We drove in relative silence for the next few minutes. It wasn't because I didn't want to utilize the surround-sound system, but the last time I turned on the system Barry White introduced himself to my eardrums. Understandably mortified by the entire aspect and the connotations to what the car was sometimes used for, I never touched the thing.

"How are you feeling?" I inquired of my sister as we neared the clearing she had spoken of. It was one of those many clearings that children played upon during the summer. Ilya and myself spent some time there, something that allowed me to get to the place quite easily.

"Well I'm kinda nervous, but kinda excited at the same time." My sister admitted, reaching out for Ruby. The moment her hand touched the staff, her clothing immediately changed. I was very much glad that the steering wheel was reinforced, because the outfit practically made her a walking fetish billboard. "But I've got Ruby!"

"We shall defeat the darkness with the power of heart!" The mystic code declared with gusto, shooting up sparks that didn't graze the ceiling. I wasn't even worried, the inside of the car was fire proof and had an over-pressure system that would allow me to smother flames at the touch of a button.

"Well you should still be careful." I stated and she gave a small nod in return. "You're still in danger no matter how powerful you are, it's best if you don't under estimate your enemy."

"Yes, Onii-san!" My sister gave me a smile, which I returned.

"Call me if you want anything picked up in Tokyo." I raised my hand when she was about to tell me she didn't know my number. "I've told Ruby and swore her to secrecy, so you'll have to go through her to call."

Nothing ruined a stealth mission like a sudden call from your adopted mother, the main reason why only Kiritsugu had my number. Maiya would've been fine, but she would've lorded it over mom until we took it away from her too. As ostentatious as the mystic code was, she understood my situation well enough, though it was her link to Ilya that made me give my contact address to her.

As Ilya made her way to converse with Miyu, whose outfit made me even more glad for the reinforced steering wheel, I drove up to the two Magi present.

I rolled down my gray-tinted, missile-proof windows.

"If the two of them get hurt, I use this car to hurt you." I promised and rolled up my windows.

Now it was time to make all those hours of customization worth it.

I turned to the river, pressing multiple buttons. Overpressure made a comfortable atmosphere as the windows sealed. I heard the whirring of machinery and I knew the wheels were already venting their air supplies, so they could convert to the turbines that would allow for movement.

The Gullwing hit the water, and I turned it into the river. Rapidly sinking in my submersible, I looked out of the tinted windows.

The look on all their faces was worth it to say the least.

…


	4. Chapter 4

The Prismatic Edge

…

Disclaimer: I do not make any monetary gain whatsoever from this enterprise.

…

"Dad I need your help." I noted the sound of gunfire through the phone, and the screams of high impact alchemical wire. They were certainly doing work, somewhere and I absolutely disliked catching them off guard in such a manner. However, in this case, I felt that I was suitably justified in my plight.

"Were you tracked? Is our house compromised?" Kiritsugu immediately went to what he perceived as the worst possible scenario. I would agree with him, on those two terms, but my plight was an even greater challenge than that. "Is Ilya safe?"

"Even worse." I looked at the flimsy door that was the entrance to the single user restroom I hid within. It wouldn't stand if she wanted to find me. "I'm on a date and I have no idea what to do."

I feared the worst, that father would hang up and call me later for some parental admonishment. Kiritsugu was terrifying when he wanted to lay down the law, only surpassed by… well everyone else in the family that wanted to lay down the law really. I'd take him being angry over anyone else in the house.

"Shirou this isn't actually an emergency." Kiritsugu sighed, and I overheard an inquisitive 'hmmm?' from my mother. My father was probably pressing two fingers at the bridge of his nose, it was what he usually did when he was frustrated. A frustrated Kiritsugu usually brought about something far deadlier: an inquisitive, curious Irisviel.

"What isn't an emergency?" My curious mother questioned, and I surmised that I must be on speaker phone and she had been paying more attention to utterly destroying her enemies.

"I'm on a date and I have no idea what I have to do." I admitted, and I suddenly heard a scuffling sound. Kiritsugu gave an odd noise, somewhere along the lines of the affront someone pushing him away and the surprise of said push aimed at his face. Mother had an odd tendency to push people away in the odd manner, and we all knew better than to question it.

"I need details Shirou." Her voice brokered no argument.

"Iri…" I heard Kiritsugu mutter, but that was only because I had too much respect to call him out on the fact that he sounded as though he was pouting. I have seen what married life does to a man, and it terrifies me to no end.

"Go play with your toys, Kiritsugu." I suddenly heard Maiya's voice, and it was the affronted grunt of a well-trained man as he went to do his work. He may have been able to convince Irisviel otherwise, but Maiya and my mother were basically unstoppable when working in conjunction. "Now Shirou-kun, don't leave any details out."

"What the sub said." My mother agreed, though I could hear lighting crackle between the two over the phone. Combined they may be, but that didn't mean that it was a safe combination.

"Well I got to the Train Station where we made our last drop." I narrated my experience with some trepidation. I was already cutting away at the parts I didn't find important, but floundered when I remembered what my mother and estranged aunt had just agreed on. "Lorelei was there but she wasn't wearing her… usual clothing."

"She dressed up for you!" My mother gushed, and the I could've sworn I was seeing pink sparkles in the corner of my eye. "That's so lovely!"

"What are you wearing?" Maiya asked critically, and I felt rather underdressed for the first time in my existence.

"The usual." I admitted, looking down at my ensemble. The formal businessman look that my family kept up wasn't the best for the situation, though I didn't make note of until was brought to my attention. "Is that a bad thing?"

"We'll have a talk about dressing up for an occasion when we get back." Growled Maiya, and I could've sworn that I heard Kiritsugu 'eep' in the background. I supposed that they were angry with him, since he was the only man of the house and the only one who went with me to purchase clothes.

"Shopping spree!" Enthused my mother, always looking at the Brightside, despite the fact that untold amounts of pain will be inflicted upon myself and my father. I can't actually remember a time with my mother so peppy without someone about to grab the wrong end of the stick.

"Continue Shirou." Maiya stated, her tone of voice utterly focused. My mother was humming happily and that wasn't a good sign. That sort of thing always signaled a harsh lesson. I can only imagine what she was cooking up to 'train' me in dating.

"She's not here as herself." I finally managed to tell them the massive screwball that had been thrown in my direction." Lorelei is _disguised_!"

"A smart move." Admitted Maiya, and I was able to see where my date was going at with her disguise at that declaration. Lorelei being sighted in Japan was one thing, her being seen with the up-and-coming new Magus Killer was another. Rumors traveled at the speed of light, and maybe even amplified in the magical community. "How did you find out?"

I was glad that they weren't actually present, my face felt as though as it was on fire. My teenage mind was telling me to hang up and give no further information, maybe even to curl up into a ball and wrap myself in blankets.

"I've been around her quite a bit." I stated slowly, hoping against all hope that what I was inferring wasn't going to be-

"He's wrecked hotel rooms with her!" Irisviel declared, and I almost felt my blood leave my body. "I have receipts!"

"Ah, I see." Maiya stated with absolute focus. "Does she know you know?"

I blinked at that. She assuredly recognized me, but did she know that I knew…

I looked back on my date with an experienced eye. I was sure that I heard her laugh more than once…

"No…" The truth dawned on me like a massive tank bearing upon a small home. "How the hell?"

"Language Shirou." I was aptly chastised, and I apologized in return. Irisviel's declaration that I could've utilized more expletives went un-minded. The colorful part of languages fascinated my mother, and she utilized them with a smile. Ilya probably knew how to curse in fifteen different languages, though I was sure she wasn't sure they were curses, but none in Japanese. "You must remember that the common man isn't exactly as perceptive as yourself. If her personality rings true, she herself would only take up a disguise if she herself found it exemplary."

So on the basic assumption that I was a man who hardly pays attention, I couldn't have recognized her. Or at the very least that's what she believes.

"That's somewhat ridiculous but I can believe it…" I stated morbidly and I heard Maiya agree over the line. "So what do I do?"

"My turn!" I heard a brief scuffle in my phone, before a shriek came from my sardonic aunt. Judging by the 'huurk' my father gave off, a swift removal of Maiya's shirt proved to be an effective distraction for my mother to get her hands upon the line. "Shirou! You need to play hard to get!"

"Hard to get?" I mused aloud, I wasn't very well versed with terms of relationships. I didn't have that many in my old life after all.

"Yes! You can't just bend over and give her everything she wants!"

"But isn't that what I'm supposed to do on a date?" I asked confusedly. My limited dating in my previous life centered around me accommodating Rin, and our relationship was pretty good until I started traveling once more.

"If you want to be used and thrown away like a paper napkin!" My mother cried vehemently. "Even if you two already romp around no son of mine is going to be a glorified quickie!

I was glad I was in the bathroom, because I was sure my face would've had people calling an emergency line in fear that I was gravely diseased.

"I know your male instincts tell you to just shut up and do what you're told for some nookies, your father is the same way, but you're young so we can change that before it becomes ingrained." My mother's voice took to a wise tone, making me wonder at the oddity of hearing it. Wise words definitely didn't come from my mother often. I actually doubted what she was telling was true, truth be told. "So listen up!"

"Alright." I agreed, steeling myself for an impromptu crash course in dating.

"Shirou, what you say if I offered you a free gun?" My mother questioned, throwing me for a loop. She seemed to notice this. "This answer is pertinent to the lesson."

"I'd say I don't need it." I replied carefully, she knew that we had plenty of weaponry stashed around the town. "It would merely be another gun to maintain."

"So what if I offered you a mystic code in exchange for your services?" My mother ventured.

"Well of course I'd take it."

"Even over a free gun that's right there?"

"Of course."

"Even you have no knowledge of what _kind _ of mystic code it is."

I pondered on that for a moment, before deciding on my answer.

"Yes, the kind of job will probably correlate to the worth of the object-."

"Exactly!" My mother declared, "That's exactly how you should approach a relationship!"

To say I was confused was an understatement.

"I'm sorry you lost me." I admitted, I honestly could not grasp how that series of events could attribute to a growing relationship.

"This is why I should've paid more attention to you instead of letting you and Kerry spend all your time in the garage." My mother huffed. "You need to play hard to get Shirou-kun! Make her work for it! If you just give her whatever she wants you'll just be-."

"A gun!" I grasped the knowledge, the sheer intelligence behind the prospect. I was befuddled since my mind could not comprehend it. "I need to be a-."

"Mystic code!" My mother cheered, and I infinitely glad to have called.

I turned off the call after a quick goodbye and exited the bathroom. The small café was quite bright and airy, a far cry from where I usually spent time with Lorelei. Most of Europe was comprised of dark and cramped places, or where we traveled at the very least.

The Queen of Clock Tower's disguise was fool proof in hindsight. One wouldn't have recognized her if one actually looked deeply. All my time spent with her, allowed me to almost figure out her identity. One wouldn't have recognized her in the sundress and light shawl, though the knee high boots may have raised a few brows since they were the same I usually saw.

"You certainly took your time." My date questioned, tossing back a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Do you usually take so long when attending your needs?"

"It depends on the situation, Cecile-san." I smiled as she smiled at my somewhat humorous response. "I take as much time as I possibly can."

"So how long do you spend on the bed?" My companion questioned, and I was confused as to why she would ask how long I slept. Though it was granted that I kept watch most of our nights together, and she slept. She may just be worried about my health.

"Long enough." I noted the red blush on the waitresses cheeks as she walked to us.

"Ummm, sir… ma'am…" She fidgeted in her uniform, as though wishing to be anywhere else. "There's been a few complaints about your… talking. We would appreciate it if your two were less… scandalous."

I wasn't aware we had been loud enough to warrant complaints, or that the jokes we were exchanging was private enough to warrant silence. The café didn't seem to be the kind of restaurant to perpetuate in silence, there was even light music playing from the speakers amidst the walls.

"No matter." My companion stood up gracefully. "We were going to attend to our needs soon enough."

The waitress looked scandalized for some odd reason, a shade of red coming over her features.

I wondered what Lorelei had planned as we left, I can assuredly use what my mother had suggested…

…

I felt so _used._

I managed to muse as I drove back to Fuyuki. The hotel may have been miles away at this point, but the sinking feeling in my stomach that she wouldn't react well to the note I left was paramount to any other. Nothing had actually gone as planned and I had another 'date' with 'Cecile' next week.

I hoped that it was better on the home front, though the fact that I didn't receive any calls from Ruby worried me quite a bit.

…

I found myself mimicking my father as I pressed two fingers against the bridge of my nose. The two genius magi before me fidgeted, but still held their ground on their outlook. Ilya and Miyu were conversing in the corner about Ilya's favored magical girl show.

"…So we require the Rider Class card immediately, Emiya-san." Rin crossed her arms over her school uniform, putting down the cup of tea that the Edelfelt butler had served.

"You're facing an enemy magi from the Age of Gods." I stated dryly, sipping my own tea as my temple throbbed at the prospect. Caster of all people, I had a feeling the line-up was going to be of all the former contenders in my war. I didn't look forward to the prospect. "And it had time to prepare, I'm surprised you're all alive to be frank."

"Ah…" My sister fidgeted as she took note of my statement, "Were we in that much danger?"

"A prepared magus is the most dangerous of opponents." Luvia decided to provide an apt explanation, saving me from the trouble. Miyu was interested in the proceedings as well, in her own way. She was paying attention as Luvia basked in the attention Ilya was showering her with.

I had my own questions, so it was good that two heiresses were present at the moment.

"What makes you believe that this card will be useful?" I asked with a frown, presenting the card from the pocket within my coat. I had kept it in a safe within the house, lined with lead and carefully hidden under my father's instruction. "Apart from some malignant magic, I couldn't find anything strange about it."

"As if my master would let some random magus utilize his creations." Rin tossed her hair back, presenting a largely haughty attitude. I quelled my normal instinct to snark at her tone. I had to portray the worried, heavily armed brother, not the old friend from the future. "Each card is a Servant, the ones that were supposed to be summoned to fight this war. The Kaleido-sticks can impart the skills and powers of the legendary heroes to the user."

That was not good, I can guess as to which card Rin had and therefore, which one Ilya had access to.

"Does the transformation affect the user's metal state in any way?" I asked with a frown, glad that a question that pertained to my future knowledge coincided with that of my brotherly instincts.

"They only get the skills, powers and weapons." Rin affirmed. "So you don't have to worry about your sister acting like some dunderhead from the early middle-ages, Emiya-san."

"This all sounds good." I muttered with a frown. "But something like this can't possibly be so…free." I finished for the lack of a better term. Use card, gain power-up, there had to be something in the middle.

"Only people with immense stores of Prana have a chance of activating the cards." Rin sighed and reached from the plush couch she sat to get one prepared foods on the table between us. The entire situation strangely reminded me of my only Holy Grail War, and the meetings at the dinner table between Rin, Myself and… Saber. "Without the Kaleido-. Are you alright Emiya-san?"

I unclenched my fists slowly, brushing the blood that formed on the inside of my black coat. The prospect alone made me more than slightly enraged. Fighting Saber wasn't one that I was too keen on Ilya doing, but if the trend followed along the lines of Medusa and Medea… Not the most delightful of prospects.

"I'm fine" I gave a forced smile, Ilya was curious but I gave her a slight wave of that particular hand. The wound was already gone, something I was sure Rin and Luvia took great note of. "Just worried is all."

Luvia coughed aside and under the gaze of all four ladies I placed the card on the table.

The two heiresses immediately both reached for the card in question and I snatched it right back.

"Hey!"

"Mr. Emiya!"

The two protested, immediately adopting looks off fury. I would've been far more intimidated if I didn't live with the women I did.

"You don't know how to fly yet, right?" I inquired of Miyu, and the girl shook her head, quite despondent. "I can only think of one mythical beast that a Greek anti-hero can summon, so I'll be giving this to you."

"Hey!" How come she gets the cool things!" Ilya protested getting up from her seat before I sat her back down.

"Because I'm going to train you." I stated bluntly watching the look of smugness that immediately spread across Rin's face. "Along with Rin-san of course, she'll know a lot of ways to make sure you're as powerful as possible right?"

A battle of wills between myself and Rin was quickly waged, but I ultimately won. My old friend may have been competitive to a fault, but she knew better than to risk a girl's life simply at the thought a rival had an advantage over her. Rin was a driven woman, and was completely able to push harder than anyone else I've had the pleasure of knowing. If I could present the situation as her proving that she didn't need class-cards, she would most definitely throw herself right into the training that I had promised to my sister.

"I'll come with you." Miyu stated suddenly. "I need to find out how to fly, and it will be far easier with an example."

"Then we can all go together then." I glanced at Luvia, who was exchanging glares with Rin. I could already see the upcoming competition forming between the two and I wasn't pleased with it at the least.

…

"You seem quite proficient in telling your sister where to focus Ruby's magic, Emiya-san." Rin noted as I had my sister practice Reinforcing her eyes. "One would think you have had some prior experience in using my master's mystic codes."

"Well with the theory, I can apply the practical." I stated simply, though leaving out how in depth my practical skill in Reinforcement was. Having fully maintained circuits made it difficult to Reinforce to the height I achieved in my previous life, but nothing a decade of training wasn't able to fix. More Prana meant the need for greater control, but the outcome made me stronger as a result, so I needn't complain. "The Physical Strengthening you mentioned was practically the same as Reinforcement."

"That half-baked technique?" Rin scoffed making me raise a brow, she had been fairly proficient in said half-baked technique. Nowhere near my level, even in my previous life, but she had no problems being able to tear off heads every now and again. "The barriers provide more than enough protection, and the basic strength given is more than what ordinary mages can-."

It was going to be a long talk, I knew that much. Rin wanted to train more in offensive rather than things that would keep my sister safe. A glass cannon that could take down an opponent in just a few seconds. I could see the appeal, especially against heroes of myth and legend that we have to fight against.

But Ilya was my sister, and she wasn't going into battle unless there was guarantee that she will survive to fight another day. To get Rin to continue to explain the intricacy behind the Mystic Codes, I needed her to convince her of my plans. Not the easiest of things to do, given her stubborn nature.

I Reinforced the muscles in my leg, and the ligaments and tendons. It took half a lifetime to create the slap-dash, imitation of what Saber was capable of. I wasn't completely able to utilize my entire body in the technique either, only upon my limbs. Even then, I risked the chance of tearing muscles without proper concentration, while Saber could utilize it as easy as breathing.

I rose my foot an inch of the ground and stepped.

Prana Burst, the technique that increased strength and speed six fold for Saber, I was terribly inept at it. The cost was too high, even for the immense power it gave. I didn't have the same body or circuits as she did, the Dragons Blood that gave her a magical core that transcended that of any normal human beings ability to create Prana. In terms of production, I was a single machine compared to a factory, she could be far more liberal with her Prana than myself.

But Rin would know what I was getting at, even if she didn't know my limitations. Ilya had infinite access to Prana, to the point she can breach other planes of existence. Prana Burst, for Ilya, was the best course of action and technique. I merely needed to show Rin so she'd continue to provide me with the information I needed.

The result of the step was a miniature seismic shock, almost like the bone tingling vibrations that Saber produced when she leapt in an over-powering charge. The trees shook all around us, leaves falling for meters around us. I grasped Rin's shoulder as she stumbled, and I took my foot from the small crater I formed underneath it.

Her eyes gleamed, her mind analyzing and compounding.

"That wasn't Reinforcement." She stated simply, her arms crossing upon her chest.

"It's the next step." I summarized my explanation. "It takes too much Prana to be battle effective, but if what you said about Ruby is true…"

"I need you to explain it to me in every detail." My old friend's younger self insisted, acting very much like the woman I cared for greatly. It was greatly disheartening to see, as she was far younger than she had been to act as she did. The Clock Tower is accelerating the process of her maturation far too quickly.

So that particular fact drove me to what I needed to do.

"No." I smirked as her jaw dropped. "I'd like to keep it a family secret, you understand. Unless you're proposing-."

"Bwuh!?" Her face turned bright red and she took a step back. She tripped on a root and promptly fell backward.

Right into what I surmised was a small marsh, though I was thoroughly surprised to see that it was far deeper than I had actually expected it to be.

"A bottomless, black marsh?" Ilya cried out in astonishment, floating to my side. I was sure she was doing it to annoy Miyu now, as she could have easily walked the ten paces. Her astonished cry drew the attention of the other pair.

I was more than amused to see Luvia brandishing a camera of sorts, breathing heavily as she approached where Rin was flailing with great distress. The young woman was so deeply interested in taking the photo, apparently, that she tripped upon the same root that Rin did. The blonde heiress's camera landed in my hands, as she fell fantastically into the swamp herself.

"Blurb- Help!" They both cried, and I decided to take advantage of the situation at hand.

*Click*

*Flash*

The struggling aptly stopped, the two looking in horror as I took the photo and waved it about, presenting it two my sister and her fellow magical girl.

"Such efficient utilization of the situation at hand." The blonde heiress muttered in horror.

Rin's answer was a few dozen Gandr, of course.

…

"Have you noticed Senpai?" Sakura asked as she, Ayako and I made our way to Kotomine's stand. They were both used to the spices, far so than myself actually, since I had taken one or the other to the stand on occasion. "You haven't tripped at all today!"

"I probably haven't been around long enough for it to happen." I frowned at the declaration, I hoped that it wasn't tempting fate. I was strapped for time, given the fact we were all going to attempt to breach the territory Medea crafted up. I didn't believe that I could manage to get dinner, as well as get out of one of those puzzling formations.

"So where were you all day?" Ayako inquired, "I was hoping that you'd come to practice…"

All my will and perseverance to not blush at what had been occurring in the practice that she mentioned. The day had been more than slightly eventful, the 'date' with Lorelei took up most of the morning and the afternoon, while I trained my sister until I met with my two friends for dinner. I would've liked to have been able to sleep more than the three hours I staked out the drop site, but I couldn't complain with my parents demolishing entire organizations a world over.

"I spent most of it doing family stuff. Managing some contacts." I wasn't lying per say, I told them both my parents were business associates and that I was being groomed to help Ilya take over the company. "I was pretty bored."

"Running from your problems aren't going to solve them, Shirou." Ayako stretched her sweater filling out nicely. It may have been because of my rather activity-filled afternoon, but I most certainly noticed. "We're going to have to fix that problem of yours sooner or later."

For some reason, Sakura latched onto my arm as we walked, pressing my arm… somewhere. Did she notice my gaze on Ayako a moment ago?

Before I was able to formulate a plan, Ayako reciprocated the action. The two girls exchanged a look that sent shivers up my rigid spine. They were communicating without words, and I was getting terrified to no end about it.

"Something wrong Senpai/Shirou?" Both of them questioned with absolute innocence sketched onto their features. My instincts told me to start praying to whatever god I worshipped, as they had found out about my mid-afternoon activities. I didn't know why I would have to apologize for such a thing to my two friends, but I wasn't questioning the fact that they both seemed ready to tear into me.

Then tragedy struck.

I wasn't used to Kotomine's shack being occupied. I had mentally adjusted to one day see Luvia's butler present, but not anyone else. Kotomine mainly preyed upon unsuspecting tourists, who visited the town. They could afford the high prices, and Mapo was apparently an eastern 'Delicacy' that his hut specialized in.

So I was surprised as I entered through the flaps, and into a very female form.

In any other case, I would've been able to use my arms to catch myself on the bars, but they were engaged by my two friends. Their own arms were occupied with my own, in their merciless teasing.

Also, there was somehow a leg behind my own that had no right to be there.

So we all fell forward, and I hoped that whatever ungodly powers I was blessed with would keep the woman we crashed into safe. No matter how unorthodox the maneuver, no one had ever been hurt. Also, I certainly didn't want the first time someone got hurt in an event to occur in Kotomine's view. He'd go out of his way to replicate it, I'd imagine.

I was seized with one arm, looping around the small of my back. I felt the body contort to the left aiming for one of the chairs. I surmised that whoever we caught was trained in some way or form, since the movements were quick and deliberate. I would've thought it was the man who owned the store himself, if not for the softness my face was enveloped in.

That was all I was able to gather until the usual chaos ensued and I was left with barely knowledge of where I was.

Wrapped in darkness, I felt out for my situation.

"My, my Emiya-kun." Caren's voice invaded my ears, infinitely amused as I found out whose shirt my head was currently within and whose… assets I was surrounded by. "It seems the tales of your impropriety are not exaggerated."

"I shouldn't have tempted fate." Sakura anguished, somewhere below me. I felt someone's features shift underneath my shirt, but no breath. I hazarded that was where Ayako was. "Hmmm… these are quite nice."

"I got them on sale." Caren supplied helpfully as ever, Sakura was probably underneath Caren's… skirt.

"We'll compare later, I'm too hungry to deal with this." Ayako stated, and I felt shifting against my body. "…how did I get my arm behind your belt?"

"As interesting as this is Emiya." Kotomine's tone held… anger in it? Why would he be angry… Oh god… "I best prepare your order while you unlatch yourself from my _daughter._"

As the girls beset themselves on untangling themselves, I prayed that any god will have mercy upon me before I ate whatever Kotomine had planned.

…


	5. Chapter 5

The Prismatic Edge.

…

Disclaimer: I do not gain money from this, nor do I have claim to any of the characters.

…

"You look terrible, Emiya." Rin had her arms crossed under her chest, and an insufferable smirk on her face. I swear, she was more likely to laugh at my troubles in this new world than the last. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Maybe we shouldn't do this today…" Ilya ventured with slight trepidation, biting her lower lip. She was already clad in the mystical dress and Ruby in her hand. "We shouldn't fight if one of us is sick. The team is only as strong as the weakest link."

"We'll be fighting today." My stomach rumbled unpleasantly at the thought of fast movement, Kirei's vengeance bubbling within. I was half convinced that my stomach was going to leap up from its crevice and throttle my brain. The diabolical item that I consumed wreaked havoc in my mouth while I consumed, and was summarily attempting to kill me from within. "We can't afford to wait any longer, if what you said about more of these monsters was true."

"Alright then, as you say Sir Emiya." Luvia declared and gave a nod towards Miyu. The girl clad in an outfit I most certainly didn't approve of returned the gesture and brandished Sapphire. "Mirror world transfer: ten meters!"

The magic was intense and held the feeling being turned inside out. I was able to pay attention to it this time. Even with my prior experiences in my past life, I was safely able to say that I had never felt something similar.

The dark sky of the mirror world was covered in massive magical arrays, enough firepower to blast an island into pieces. Any Magi should be able to construct a defensible position that was nigh unbreakable. Caster being a spirit of one of the greatest Magi even in the age of gods shamed anyone I had ever met. No one was able to match her in the sheer raw power she was able to bring to bear.

Yet for her it was all for naught, as Miyu brandished the Rider class card. The sudden surge of magic calling forth the Bridle of Bellerophon. The saddle of the ancient Greek warrior allowed mounts of mystical nature to be ridden, but one in particular came to its mystical call.

The Pegasus was a mythical beast of ancient times, and of greater power than any Magi could hope to replicate. Offense and defense combined, the winged horse was a wall of solid magic that had wings that could flay flesh and whose body was so fast and strong it annihilated all in the way of its majestic flight. Then the actual bridle of Bellerophon came to play, and in one single attack the entire might of the Pegasus can be brought to bear. An attack that I believed could only be overpowered by one other noble phantasm.

It was unstoppable object liquidated into a single creature.

Then there was my sister.

"Alright, Ruby." She whispered to the mystic code, "Let's do this!"

Who was frankly terrifying when it came to learning about magic.

Power poured from her, she had yet to learn the finer points of Reinforcement, but she made up for that weak point with ludicrous amounts of energy. The mystic code in her hands streamlined the effect of that particular weakness anyway. Ruby already enhanced her physical attributes to a massive degree. The effect of making conscious effort of Reinforcement while under the physical effects of Ruby, was akin to covering solid concrete with layers of steel.

Then came Prana Burst.

My sister launched herself off the ground for her flight. The magic she used surpassing that even Saber utilized in battle. The tremor I made when I did it myself was a laughingstock compared to the one she created. If she had done that atop a building, I had no doubt it would have crumbled underneath the force. The ground cratered from where she kicked off, cracks forming dozens of meters from the epicenter and hundreds of pebbles launching themselves up to my height.

I knew for a fact that they would be fine against Caster. The two of them were faster than the beams that streaked towards them, each one's physical power could annihilate the magical servant in a single hit. The battle for the skies would last for moments, as Caster would use every trick in her sleeve before falling to one or the other. The battle was over the moment it begun.

Then I heard the sound of armor in the distance and knew the battle wasn't going to be that easy.

So I struck against my two fellow students, who both staggered as darts containing incapacitating drugs strong enough to knock out elephants ran through their systems.

"E-emiya." Rin struggled to speak as her legs lost the battle against gravity. "W-why?"

"Tohaska, Edelfelt." I addressed the two, their hazy eyes attempting to catch my own as they fell face first on the ground. "You may not believe it now, but I'm doing this for your own good."

That was a lie, they could help me against that all too-familiar sound and steady gait of armor. They were both talented magi, more so than I could ever be. Rin and Luvia, were both geniuses of a caliber that would be remembered for the ages. They could most certainly make my work easier.

But the truth was… I was being very selfish.

I ran as hard as I possibly can, ignoring the mass of lights above as Caster was slowly being worn away. Saber's resistance to magic would make her nigh impossible to defeat with magic. Her skill and power would put the two at risk, maybe before they could even attempt to kill her.

When it came to my old Servant, there were certain ties that had never been cut. Old, broken ties that crossed over from my old life and had plagued me since those fateful days of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

So I encountered her alone.

Resplendent, even with her armor black and stained with red. I could not say that she wasn't awe inspiring. The power behind her was present even at my distance, and was only becoming clearer as she walked closer. Her skin was paler, and the golden locks looked faded, but the ethereal beauty remained. I wondered what happened to her eyes, as they were hidden behind a savage visor.

I drew the gun from its holster and fired all the shots within the gun's clip. The depleted uranium rounds bounced off Invisible Air, drawing the attention of my old servant… teacher… friend.

I felt a small, sad smile tug up the corners of my lips as she brandished an invisible blade. I holstered the gun, and held out my hands. The familiar weights of Kanshou and Bakuya settling within them.

"Hey, Saber." I greeted the warrior who walked toward me, hearing nothing. "It's been a while."

The silence of the encroaching blonde warrior made me feel my age. My true age, I felt every bit of the old man that died alone in a hospice. The old man who mastered the blades in my hands now.

One pairs at shoulder height, one in my hands, one at the waist, blades hovering where I could not touch. The technique I gathered from Archer, tempered by decades more of experience. Three Realms Perfected…

I leveled my blade in challenge and she stopped moving. The servant adopting a stance that was tugged at faint memories.

"I think I have room in this filled brain of mine for one more lesson, eh?"

She struck first, the white blades on my right side all coming to intercept the blade. There were only a few openings in my defense, and I knew them well after years of battle. A single opening against the beings I fought could be exploited and get me killed. The entire basis of my fighting style, was to control my openings and guard them.

Excalibur, wreathed in Invisible Air, broke the first two of the Chinese swords and the last one barely held against the blow that would've easily bisected me at the waist. Saber was at her full power, despite all my training and all the experience I had, I was in for the fight of my life.

I let go of my hold on the three black blades on my left side and the blades flew towards her spinning rapidly to connect with the only remainder of their opposites. One came down her neck, the other her chest, and the last at her abdomen.

Impossibly fast, she leapt back and left the three blades dry. The sheer force of her leap backward nearly stunned me, it was as though she pushed herself off the small gap between the two of us. The explosive movement would allow her to return to the fight instantaneously, she still bore the sword ready to attack.

Still, it was probably going to be the only opening that I was going to get.

I charged in, throwing the white blade ahead and simply letting of the rest follow. They made rapid arcs through the air, sounds akin to the slow 'thumps' of helicopter blades. I've used the technique to cut apart even Dead Apostles, but Saber batted them aside as though they were toothpicks

I was fighting Saber at her best, I could settle for doing anything less than extraordinary to hope to win against the once and future king of Great Britain.

Heracles' stone great sword came into being above me, nearly crushing me under its oppressive weight. I swung the gigantic mass of stone to bisect my old teacher, only to see her take stance the tip of her sword touching the ground.

The ground underneath her feet crumbled from intense force. I realized the technique she was enacting before she could finish, I was unable to stop my swing.

Excalibur could cut through armor plate, rend a knight in half from shoulder to the horse beneath. The tip lodged in the ground she swung to empower her strike with the miniscule resistance the land could provide to the absurdly sharp blade. The swing left a furrow akin to a car crashing into the ground.

The holy sword burst through the one hewn from solid rock, my hands turned numb from the shockwaves that traveled. A plated foot impacted my stomach and sent me tumbling onto the ground until I dug my fingers into the dry soil. The swing hadn't allowed her to slice me in half due to the strength behind it. A small mercy as my chest throbbed from the force of her kick. The strength of my body was akin to solid steel, that kick felt as though it was flesh and delivered by piston driver.

I was surprised to find none of my bones broken.

She charged again, not the least fatigued by the technique that would've drained my reserves of energy in as few three uses. The blade was held aloft, in a strike that would bisect me perfectly in half. Kanshou and Bakuya reformed in my hands, and I was barely able to knock the attack to the side while breaking the legendary tempered metal.

I needed breathing room, close combat with Saber was tantamount to insanity.

I fired off as many blades as I was able, the sudden torrent of steel actually able to push away my old protector. Nameless blades they may have been, but they were more than enough to give me the second I needed to combat my teacher.

The blade was strong, one of the strongest upon the endless hill of swords. No matter how well I trained, or how experienced I was, summoning the best that my endless armory could offer was beyond my reach without uttering the beginning of my creed:

"I am the bone of my sword."

Durandal a sword the same era of Saber, wielded by knights. The blade's three miracles was beyond my skill to replicate all at once. Against Saber, though, I truly needed only one of them.

The distance I created vanished, and I blocked the sword of promised victory with my newly created blade as my arms cried out in pain. The sword was unbreakable, though its thin form easily making it look fragile.

Another blow hit me in the abdomen, making me lose my grip for a second. The sudden kick allowed the short stalemate to be broken, as Saber brought down her invisible blade like a hammer upon a spike. I leapt away, the tip of the blade scoring the first blood of the encounter by creating a gash from my shoulder to my hip.

There was no room for fear, I had to fight her.

"Onii-san!" A bright light shot from my periphery, not even glancing against Saber's armor. I looked to the sky, and saw that the mystical arrays were no longer present. Caster had been destroyed… that meant that…

My sister was coming and that Saber was looking right at her… like an enemy.

Overwhelming urge fueled me, as I realized that I had been too damned stunned to realize what was in front of me. The intention of the being in front of me, was to kill a child. Saber didn't exist, this was just whatever was left of the corrupted grail.

An enemy like this, needed to be dealt with by overwhelming force.

I uttered my creed once more, weapon in my mind appearing in my left hand. It was a sword made by a family that tilled the earth, the son was taken to war but longed to return to his farm. When he returned home, he melted the blade back into the tools his family starved to death for and built his family anew. "Plow the earth!"

A gouge appeared where I stabbed the blade, and the servant fell into it. I had overloaded the blade's mystery to the point that it's effect increased by an order of magnitude. There were hundreds of swords with mysteries that just worked better when magical energy overloaded them.

I could have attacked as she fell, filled the crevice with countless swords. It may have been the best opening I had, to kill the shadow that was one of my best friends.

But something more important was at hand.

I turned on my heel, and caught my sister as she flew towards me. My legs pumped as hard as they were able, as I carried her away.

"Y-you're hurt!" She was frightened I could tell, near hysteric even. Her eyes were trained on me and my blood. "Stop! Let me help!"

"There are some opponents you'll have to other people face, Ilya." The voice that issued from my mouth was gentle, despite the overwhelming urgency I had to keep her safe. "This new one is one of them."

Hooves clattered onto the ground and Miyu looked decidedly grimmer than any child should. The Pegasus easily kept pace with my dead sprint with ease.

"I'm going to delay her as long as possible." I explained to the raven haired girl and I handed my sister to her. "Tell Rin and Luvia that the enemy has A ranked Magic Resistance."

"I'm not going to leave you to fight that thing alone!" Ilya cried, but I shook my head.

"You're not." I explained carefully, as rapid steps of armor entered my hearing range. The shade was most certainly very close now. Outrunning her wasn't an option on my part, but the Pegasus was more than able. "You're going to make sure Miyu tells Rin and Luvia exactly what I said, and you're going to help them come up with a plan to beat this thing."

My eyes met Miyu's just as the charging metal steps became more languid and much, much closer. "Get back soon."

The Pegasus darted off, becoming a brilliant white light. Something trailed after them, issuing from Saber. I didn't know what it was, maybe an offshoot of the Invisible Air that surrounded the monster I faced. All that I knew, was that I wasn't going to let it touch them.

A cutlass formed in my left hand, as I uttered my creed.. The magus-pirate that created it used it to propel his ship forward with wind even in the most calm of days in the ocean. I submerged the blade in Prana, and swung it towards the reaching tendrils. The blade exploded, but the intense winds that issued forth blew the attack away on my sister away.

Durandal was in my right hand, because I had wanted to fight Saber on even terms. This thing was most certainly not Saber. This was a powerful monster and I knew exactly how to deal with monsters.

I changed the mystery that I was powering to the edge I desperately needed, and transformed the blade. The cross guard and handle turned into the spokes of the feather, and I had very little to change about the blade itself.

She charged, and I kicked off the ground forming my weapon in my right hand.

The shade leapt after me with and brandishing her blade to cut me from side-to-side.

She took the bait, and I pulled back the cracking blade and fired it right into the corrupted being's chest. My enemies, despite the few that had survived fights with me, never managed to take into account the speed of which it took me to attack from afar. Two arrows every second, supplanted by the hundreds of Phantasms I had at my fingertips, made sure no enemy had a third change to find out.

Durandal was like a black-bolt covered in an intricate web of light. The arrow burst through invisible air and into the being's chest. My calculations of how long the broken phantasm would take to break were inaccurate, so it didn't explode within the corrupted warrior's chest, but behind her instead.

I could work with that.

Caladbolg II was the greatest weapon I had in my arsenal. It rent apart a target using a distortion in space and time.

I had used it so often, known it so well through all the years of my life, bringing it into existence and firing it was as easy as breathing.

Breaking the blade would create an explosion that would damage the better part of a city block, I would have to risk my own life to even attempt to wound my enemy.

Just like old times.

I fired the arrow right into her face, which was a mere ten feet away.

The shockwave of the blast caught onto me and sent me flying off, the spherical rent in space ripping apart the edge of fabric that touched it. I twisted myself out of the way, rolling until eh expanding ball came to a stop.

Only for an armored fist to nearly snap my neck, fingers gripping with such harsh force that they drew blood. My eyes were starting to ache from the continuous use of Reinforcement, but the toll on the rest of my body was fine. Even with my crippled circuits in my last life, I was quite able to manage taking down beasts most magi would balk at.

Excalibur came upward from the lower left, a one handed swing that broke through three of the most massive blades I could project in front of it. The gigantic swords were renowned for cutting through horses and hammering armor plate, but they crumbled against the might of the invisible blade.

Not a matter, their copies would exact vengeance. Massive blades shot formed and shot at the wounded shade, forcing it back as each one required a swing to block effectively. The battle gown was in tatters, revealing more armored plate underneath. Save for such cosmetic damage and the gaping wound she was fighting despite of, the beast was virtually unscathed.

The monster was in its prime element, supplied to the brim with Prana and against a single opponent. The Saber class was at their strongest against singular opponents, I had seen it myself.

I was merely being the delaying action, the stopgap measure while Rin came up with a half-cocked plan.

Good, that just meant that I was doing what I did best.

Suddenly dozens of magical bolts flew above me, encompassing my barrage of blades and granting them more force.

I didn't turn around as a gloved hand smacked me on the back of my head from my right, and haughty laughter came from my right.

"Baka." Rin stated and joined the fight, brandishing Ruby with easy confidence. An idle glance to my left made it known to me that the same was true for Luvia.

I was glad to see that their outfits were far more formal than what my sister and her friend wore, but a question came to mind.

"Neko ears?" I mused and my new allies twitched as one.

"Shut up and fight."

Rin leveled her scepter, and the tip became a pointed blade. Luvia began weaving magic behind us that was so strong it felt more powerful than what Caster had ever managed.

Then, faster than even my enhanced eyes could manage to see, Rin engaged her. I wanted to follow, but a hand gripped my shoulder, Luvia giving me a wink as she kept me back. The burning of my circuits were all too apparent to me, I'd hamper them if I became deadweight.

Rin was more powerful than I had ever remembered, her strikes meeting Saber's with equal force. I should have taught her how to use Prana Burst…

I focused past my mistake in not doing so, by cutting off the wraith's avenues of attacks, filling in the sides of the battle with a storm of blades. Rin still had the advantage of having a clear line of retreat, and the ability to fly.

Still, those advantages weren't enough. Rin was kicked back, soundly destroyed by precision strikes by her opponent's behalf. The twin-tailed magus clutched at her stomach as she came to a stop next to me.

"You took this on for five minutes as a human, Emiya? Even wounding it?" The heiress puffed and winced as she stood up. I closed the small gap and began battering the corrupted being with an onslaught of massive blades. "You're a monster."

Power pulsed behind me, and six massive mystic batteries fired in unison. The solid 'hum' of energy was relevant for a full minute, but I knew that it wouldn't work.

"Seems that your ranking of her defenses are spectacularly correct, Emiya-san." Luvia noted as the figure stood. The mask was gone, and yellow eyes drifted over us. "It seems physical fighting is indeed the best method of approach."

"You can hurt it again right?" Rin inquired and I gave a nod. Durandal worked once, it would work again. I would not miss the brief window of explosive strength this time.

"Yes." I was already seeing the route she was going to take.

The shade regarded us, its distance optimal for blocking my strikes with mere flicks of the wrist.

I wondered if it was scared, I would certainly be if I faced Rin Tohaska with unlimited magic power at her disposal.

That dream was broken, as a gale that could shatter a fortress burst upon us. I was barely able to grab onto the ground as it sent my barrage of blades flying back at us. Luvia abandoned her efforts and joined Rin in blocking the massive onslaught of blades. Invisible Air was both a weapon and a shield, but using it as a weapon meant losing its value as a shield.

Then I saw what became of the holy sword and my heart clenched.

Black as night, with rings that seemed to be glowing blood. Even the holy blade had not escaped the corruption that befell the shade of the person I once knew.

My two companions projected massive shields, but they would assuredly fall against the corrupted sword of promised victory.

But maybe if I helped…

The magic was intense, a dull throbbing as the sword transformed and pure darkness was basically held in my opponent's hands. It surpassed the length of the small bridge that allowed cars to cross the ravine we fought in.

I needed to win, I could not afford to lose when I knew what this thing would assuredly do to my sister if I lost.

The blast was insurmountable in power, blasting through the combined defenses of both Mystical Code users in the blink of an eye. I took a deep breath and presented both my arms forward.

"Rho Ais!" I declared and the flower shield of Ajax appeared before my hands. My circuits were burning and my strength wavered a petal immediately fell. Pain lanced up my arm and onto my shoulder, as though every bone broke at once. The mystery behind the shield that blocked the spear of the mighty Hector was that each was as strong as a fortress wall, but the damage taken by the shield was given to the user.

The first petal evaporated against the onslaught and the second was being eaten away at a rapid rate, I feared that we didn't stand a _chance_ to survive.

…

He was bleeding, everywhere. I could barely stand, I could barely breathe. He was so strong! How could he possibly be losing? How could I face something that could hurt him?

"Ilya." Miyu no longer had her Pegasus, something about time limits on the cards or another. I couldn't help but look to her at the moment, she was calm and cool. Nothing like how I felt. "Are you fine?"

"How can I be fine?" The question was absurd! My brother was getting hurt, Rin and Luvia were going to help him and they both weren't sure about their chances. "This is crazy! Onii-san is-."

It was a massive blast, I couldn't name it. The force was like a gigantic wind had rushed towards us both in every single direction. We both ran, without prompting, to where we both knew where it came from.

Rin and Luvia were both behind him, shocked for the first time I'd ever seen. They were always in control, but they didn't seem to be this time.

But it was probably because of the massive blast my brother was holding back with his hands.

And I knew that he was going to lose.

The petals of the massive barrier he put up, which I knew were stronger than I could ever manage, began to peel away one by one against the massive pillar of darkness.

He was going to die-

The thought was interrupted by something snapping.

Something inside me… broke…

My hand moved to the card Rin had told me to keep safe.

I remembered what Ruby said to me about the card. That it took humongous amounts of magical power to equip, that an ordinary magi wouldn't be able to cross the boundary without preparation.

But he was in trouble, so I no longer cared.

I slammed the card against the ground, power I didn't know I had flooding out of me like a massive wave of energy. It was uncomfortable, as though I was being pulled in every direction, but I couldn't care less.

Esoteric symbols appeared, a massive circle with symbols I had never seen before. I only took notice of them, because I wanted them to give me power.

And they did, much, much power.

"Ilya!" I heard a familiar voice, but ignored it. "How can you?!"

My hair no longer framed my face, and the clothes I wore tightened in some areas while disappearing in others. The material that remained felt alien and strong, but what mattered was what appeared in my hand.

A massive bow that I had cared so little for in when I last summoned it into existence. This time though, I knew exactly how to use it.

The sword was like a cork-screw, but I knew the power behind it and fired into the mass of darkness threatening my family.

"Install!" I heard a cry to my side, and curiosity got the better of me. I should've paid more attention to my opponent.

Miyu was clad entirely in blue, a red lance in her hands. Her own circle fading from existence. A part of my mind remembered her skill, and her intelligence. I supposed that she would readily be able to do as I had done, she had more experience in utilizing the cards than myself.

A nod was exchanged, and we both charged into battle.

…

*Edit: Fixed many grammar errors, and dumb Microsoft word spell check errors.

This chapter is now 1.3 in its update status.


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